


Supporting Characters

by portmanteaux



Series: Supporting Characters [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Blangst, Communication, M/M, MeetCute, blaine's parents are terrible, echoes of cannon events, serious conversations, taking it slow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-04 14:23:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12772923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/portmanteaux/pseuds/portmanteaux
Summary: AU where Kurt and Blaine didn't meet until after college when they're both a little more grown up and sure of themselves. Echoes of cannon events throughout. A fair bit of Blangst. More talking about sex than descriptions of sex.Note: I've renamed and reordered some of the fics in this series.





	1. Playground

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this almost exactly four years ago. I'm not sure how much of it will be posted. I warn you that the story itself is not exactly finished.

            Finn and Kurt walked the few blocks from Kurt's apartment to the park, with Finn's four year old daughter, Emily, bouncing excitedly between them, holding both their hands and chattering non-stop.

            It was two days before Thanksgiving, and the entire Hudson-Hummel family had descended upon Kurt's New York apartment for the holiday. They'd arrived in the morning and settled into Kurt's two bedrooms (while Kurt relocated to the couch). It was always a bit harrowing to welcome five extra people into what was normally Kurt’s own private space, but he would sacrifice some of his alone time for a few nights with his family. Spare bedrooms were precious real estate in New York City, and, while Kurt by no means considered himself to have found his “big break” yet, he’d had enough success that when Rachel moved out he was able to cover the cost of the apartment on his own. He was proud of his achievements, and glad to be able to put up his family and save them the cost of a hotel.

            After lunch, it was time for a trip to the grocery store to get ready for the holiday. Rather than take Emily with them, Finn volunteered to take her to the park a few blocks away, since he wasn't much help in the kitchen anyway, and Emily had insisted that her Uncle Kurt come along. Kurt had agreed, but gave his father a long shopping list with very explicit written instructions.

            The three of them reached the park, and Kurt bent down to tighten Emily's scarf and tuck it into her coat before releasing her toward the playground. He and Finn found an empty bench within sight of Emily and sat down together.

            "She loves her Uncle Kurt," Finn said with a goofy grin. "She doesn't want to leave your side."

            "Well, what other four-year-old's dolls have a Kurt Hummel custom wardrobe?" Kurt smiled back. "And I haven't seen her outside of Skype since her birthday."

            A high-pitched cry rang out from behind the monkey bars, and every adult head snapped toward the sound. Across the playground, a man approached the little girl in the bright yellow coat who'd tripped and scooped her into his arms in a practiced motion. They walked over to a bench across from Kurt and Finn, and Kurt watched the man calm her down with a hug and a kiss to her knee. He produced a band-aid from the messenger bag across his shoulder and talked to her softly as he bandaged up her scrape.

            The girl looked a little younger than Emily. The man was on the short side and broad-shouldered, with a toboggan cap pulled down over his head. He had a couple of days’ worth of dark stubble on his face, just enough to sharpen his jawline. Kurt briefly admired the cut of his jacket, and as the man bent down to apply the bandage to the girl's scraped knee, Kurt's eyes landed on the tight jeans stretched across his equally tight—

            "Kurt?" Finn interrupted. "Dude, are you even listening?"

            Kurt's cheeks were already rosy from the chill in the air, to which he was grateful for hiding his blush. "Sorry, Finn. You were saying?"

            "I said, Emily was so excited to see you that she started packing a week ago. She wanted to show you all her new dolls and the new dress she gets to wear on Thanksgiving. She said she wishes we could live closer to you."

            "That's really sweet. I wish you guys lived closer, too. I love hanging out with her."

            "Anyway, it's nice to get out of Ohio and see New York again, even if it's colder here..."

            Kurt was listening, really, but a flash of yellow in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he saw the man from earlier was moving around to the end of the slide, waiting with outstretched arms for the girl sitting at the top of the ladder. She zipped down the slide and he snatched her up into a hug, the little girl giggling and the man laughing just as hard. Kurt couldn't help but mirror their contagious happy smiles. Not to mention the man was gorgeous.

            Suddenly, Emily was right in front of him, poking him in the knee and pointing at the swings and asking him to push her. Kurt and Finn each took one of her hands and let her lead them away from the bench. Kurt glanced over at the man as they passed him to find him watching Kurt. The man's big, goofy grin had softened into a polite smile, which Kurt returned shyly.

            When Emily tugged him forward, he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder and ran for the swings.

 

 **********

 

            The next day was an early start. Emily was an early riser, and once she was awake, sleep was over for everyone else. Carole, Sarah, and Kurt were working on all the food that could be prepared a day ahead of time. Finn wandered in and out of the kitchen, not really helping, but keeping an eye on anything tasty he could snag a bite of. Burt did help a bit, mostly thanks to Kurt's prodding.

            All the adults took turns keeping Emily entertained. In Kurt's case, this meant helping her to style her dolls because Uncle Kurt loved fashion.

            "Uncle Kurt?"

            "Hm?" Kurt didn't look up from the tiny blazer he was mending.

            "Can we go to the park?" she asked, her big brown eyes peering up at him from behind her long eyelashes.

            Kurt considered. The cooking for tomorrow was mostly taken care of, and they'd probably be going out to dinner later, so there wasn't much left to do around the house. Finn and Burt had gone to the store for a couple of things they'd forgotten to get the day before, and when they got back they'd probably have sports to watch. He didn't blame Emily for being bored.

            "Ask your mom if it's okay first."

            She hopped up and ran to her mom, and Kurt followed more slowly. "Mommy! Can I go to the park with Uncle Kurt?" Sarah looked questioningly at Kurt over Emily's head.

            "I'm happy to take her. We're both a little restless," Kurt said to his sister-in-law.

            Sarah shrugged. "Okay, sweetie, but you stay close to Uncle Kurt and listen to what he says, okay?"

            "Okay!" she cried, running toward the guest room where her suitcases were kept.

            Soon, their clothes were changed, the dolls were put away, and they were all bundled up and waving goodbye to the rest of the family.

            This time, Emily wanted to swing first thing. There were a couple of people over by the swing set, and Kurt's heart picked up speed a little bit when he recognized the yellow coat of the girl—and with her, the man—from yesterday. Kurt set down his travel mug of coffee (bless Carole for pressing it into his hand on their way out) on the ground and lifted Emily into the swing, pulling her back and letting her go.

            "Higher!" Emily shouted excitedly, nearly vibrating with energy.

            "Okay, Penguin, hold on tight."

            The Man was crouched down, tying the little girl's shoe. When he finished, he murmured a "Be careful, k?" and she ran over to the jungle gym several feet away. He surprised Kurt by sitting down in the swing she'd just vacated and swinging gently. He looked over and caught Kurt's eye, flashing that brilliant smile. Kurt smiled and looked away, feeling suddenly shy. He was even more gorgeous close up. He was clean-shaven today, which made him look younger. The same cap he'd been wearing the day before was pulled down over his pink ears, and he was just as well-dressed as the day before. But his _eyes_. Kurt focused again on Emily and told himself not to stare.

            After a while, Emily got bored with the swing and felt much more compelled to go down the slide.

            Kurt picked up his mug and hesitated a moment before sitting down in the swing beside the man and sipping his coffee.

            "I loved the swings as a kid. Still do. It feels like flying," said the man, his mouth pulling into a grin.

            Kurt looked over and couldn't help chuckling. He looked like an overgrown child. "I guess you're right," he agreed. "I haven't been on a swing set in at least a decade."

            "I'm Blaine."

            "Kurt."

            "Nice to meet you, Kurt. I haven't seen you or your partner at the park before. Are you new to the neighborhood?"

            "My what?"

            Blaine's eyebrows scrunched up at him, and Kurt's eyes were drawn to the dark triangles. "The guy here with you yesterday…your partner?"

            Kurt nearly choked on his coffee. He remembered the three of them holding hands, with Emily between them—something _parents_ did. "Finn? No. No. Finn's my brother," he said with a chuckle. "Emily's my niece."

            "Oh. I'm sorry. Sophie’s got two dads, and I guess I—I saw the two of you together with a kid and I assumed—"

            "Oh, no, you’re right about _me_ ," Kurt assured him, a little disappointed that the man apparently had a partner. "I’m gay. My brother’ll get a kick out of that, though. I'll save it up and tell him about it when he needs a good laugh."

            Blaine gave a sheepish smile, hoping he hadn't completely ruined his first impression. Kurt was busy with the realization that the handsome stranger had noticed him the day before.

            "So that’s your daughter?" Kurt nodded at the little girl climbing up a ladder.

            "My goddaughter. Sophie. She's my best friends’ daughter.” As he internally fist-pumped, Kurt reminded himself that didn’t mean Blaine was single, or even gay for that matter.

           “I babysit her sometimes, since I don't really have a day job. I mean, not that I'm unemployed, I just work at home..." Blaine realized he was babbling and took a breath. "Anyway, we haven’t been to the park in a while. She doesn't even care that tomorrow’s a holiday and her parents are home, she just wanted to come play. Her dads are out picking up her aunt and uncle at the airport.”

            Kurt nodded in understanding. "Em needed to work off some energy while the adults are being boring. And I needed some time away from football."

            “Not a fan?”

            “Not remotely.” The two men chatted while they watched the playground. There were only a few kids there that day, and after a few minutes, the girls seemed to hit it off and started playing together. Emily was chasing Sophie through the tunnels and shouting something about saving the unicorns. She was loud enough that they could hear her from inside the solid plastic.

            Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yep, that's my niece. She gets that from Finn. He's about as graceful as a hippopotamus." Blaine chuckled.

            After forty-five minutes or so, Emily came running over to them, Sophie trailing behind her.

            "Uncle Kurt we caught the dragon!"

            Kurt straightened her hat and pushed some hair behind her ear. "How very brave of you. Are you having fun?"

            "Yeah, but I'm cold." Kurt took her hands in his and rubbed them.

            "Do you want to head home and get warmed up?"

            "We were going to go down the street for hot cocoa when we're done here,” Blaine interjected. “Do you two want to come with us?"

            Kurt considered. Blaine seemed normal enough, and he did actually have a child with him, so he probably wasn't going to murder them or anything. "Sure," Kurt answered, pulling out his phone. "I’ll let my family know we’ll be back a little later."

            They walked to the cafe a couple blocks away and Blaine insisted that they let him treat them. Kurt reluctantly agreed, and helped Blaine carry the four hot cocoas and four pumpkin cookies to their table.

            "Pumpkin is my favorite," Sophie volunteered.

            Kurt grinned at her. "Oh, yeah, that's why fall is the best season." She smiled up at him and Blaine smiled into his hot chocolate.

            They ate and laughed and chatted. Emily breathlessly explained the game they'd been playing—the playground was a forest and an evil queen had kidnapped all the unicorns and the princesses were the only ones who could save them. And there was a dragon.

            Kurt learned that Blaine was a composer and musician, which led to an impassioned conversation about music. Blaine listened with fascination as Kurt talked about his love of musical theater, the roles he'd managed to land so far, and his love of fashion.

            “I’m a bit of a clotheshorse.”

            “Oh, I thought I’d just caught you on an exceptionally good day,” Blaine said teasingly. It made Kurt’s insides melt.

            "Uncle Kurt's the best at playing dress-up!" Emily added.

            Kurt smiled sheepishly at Blaine and patted her head. "Thanks, penguin."

            Blaine laughed. "Don't worry, thanks to this one I've played pretty princesses more than your average adult man.” He added, “Princess Blaine is a diva," and tossed his invisible hair for effect, making everyone at the table laugh.

            Kurt explained that he usually went to Ohio to visit his family for the holidays, but this year they'd decided to take some vacation time and stay with him in the city.

            "Ohio?" Blaine asked in surprise. "I'm from Westerville, outside of Columbus."

            "Wow. I'm from Lima." They'd grown up only a couple of hours away from each other. "So does your family still live there, too?"

            Blaine's smile went a little stiff, and Kurt immediately regretted the question. "I'm sorry," he said. "That was—You don't have to answer—"

            "No," Blaine said. "It's okay. Family's a complicated topic is all. My parents live in Ohio, and my brother lives in L.A. He's an actor." Blaine brightened slightly. "I've got Sophie and her dads—my best friends, Nick and Jeff," he said, smiling at the little girl next to him. "They’re my chosen family."

            Kurt nodded. "They sound great."

            Soon enough, the cookies were eaten, and any hot cocoa that wasn't finished had gone cold.

            Kurt sighed. "I guess we'd better get back and make sure the kitchen hasn't exploded," he said, casting a grave look at Emily, who grinned at him.

            "Can we go to the park again tomorrow?" Emily asked.

            "Probably not tomorrow because it's Thanksgiving," Kurt answered, pursing his lips. _And I am unstoppable on Black Friday_ , he added mentally. "But maybe this weekend."

            "Can we go too, Blaine?" Sophie asked.

            Blaine glanced at Kurt. "Maybe. We'll ask your dads."

            There was an awkward pause, as no one quite knew how to say goodbye. "Can I give you my number? If you do go to the park this weekend, we might be able to meet you there. I think the girls liked playing together today."

            A smile crept onto Kurt's face. "Sure." Kurt typed in the number Blaine told him and sent him a "Hi, it's Kurt" text so that Blaine would have his number, too.

            "Okay, well...see you later," Kurt said with a smile. "Thanks for the hot cocoa."

            "Any time," Blaine answered. "Happy Thanksgiving."

            "You too!" When they were halfway down the block, Kurt picked up Emily and kissed her cheek. "You, my little penguin, are awesome."

 

 **********

 

            "Hey, guys," Sarah said when they got back. "Did you have fun, sweetheart?"

            Emily nodded. "I played princesses with Sophie and then we had hot chocolate with Bane!" She said it the way only -a four-year-old hyped up on sugar can.

            "With who?" Finn said from the couch.

            Kurt had frozen in the process of taking off his coat, and cringed. "Sophie and Blaine," Kurt corrected. "We made new friends at the park, and then we went out for hot chocolate with them."

            "Uh-huh, and this _Blaine_ , was he a friend for Emily or a friend for Uncle Kurt?" Sarah wondered innocently, eyeing Kurt with a sly smile as she helped Emily out of her coat and boots.

            "I played with Sophie and Uncle Kurt talked to Blaine," Emily explained.

            "Oh. And Did Uncle Kurt get Blaine's phone number?" Sarah asked in her Emily-voice, but she was looking straight at Kurt. She was clearly not going to let him get away with this.

            Finn rolled his eyes and picked up Emily. "Let's go...do...something else."

            Kurt hung up his coat and turned to face his family with as much dignity as he could muster. He cleared his throat. "Okay, yes. But I'm not even sure if he's gay," he said in his own defense.

            "You get a lot of numbers from straight guys?" Sarah said dubiously.

            "Well..." Kurt faltered. "Emily said she wanted to go back to the park over the weekend, and Blaine said maybe they could meet us there so the girls could play together..." he trailed off, and his words were met with a beat of silence.

            "Kurt, did you use my only granddaughter to pick up a guy at a park?" Burt said slowly.

            "What?" he squeaked, flustered. "No, of course not! That's—we just sort of ran into each other, and the girls hit it off, and…everybody wanted hot chocolate..." Kurt hastened to explain, only to look around and see Carole chuckling silently and his father hiding a grin. Kurt realized he was just teasing and huffed out a breath. "You're mean."

            "Ignore him, Kurt," Carole said.

            "As long as you’ll babysit, I don't mind if you want to pick up daddies at the playgroud," Sarah shrugged with an evil smirk.

            "I hate that song," Kurt muttered.

            "I know you do," she replied sweetly.

            Burt seized upon Sarah's words and changed his tune entirely. "Hey, is this Blaine guy older than you?"

            "Oh my god! He's my age, and he's not a dad!" Kurt exclaimed. "He was there with his best friend's daughter. And anyway, it was completely innocent."

            Burt let it go with a grunt. Sarah winked at Kurt, just as subtle as her husband, and he rolled his eyes back.


	2. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt doesn't know if Blaine is interested in an adult date without the kiddos, but he figures it can't hurt to ask.

            Saturday was entirely devoted to sightseeing, and when they got home they were all too exhausted to do much except eat leftover turkey sandwiches and watch TV until bedtime.

            Sunday was the day for packing and goodbyes and trips to the airport. By the time Kurt had hugged them all goodbye and loaded them into cabs, he felt utterly exhausted. He loved his family to pieces, but it was draining to have five extra people living in one's house for nearly a week.

            A nagging voice in his head kept reminding him that the weekend was almost over. He regretted that he hadn't gotten to see Blaine again. He pulled out his phone and opened a text message, then frowned, thumbs paused. What if he'd misunderstood Blaine's interest? Was Blaine single, or even gay? What if it was really just a date for the children to play and Blaine had no interest in an adult date with him?

**To Blaine: My family is headed back home. Do you still want to meet up without the kids? Coffee?**

            He read it over three times before deciding it was good enough: brief and casual, yet unambiguous. He hit send and dropped the phone to the couch beside him, trying to relax rather than wait. Sighing at himself he got up and headed toward the spare room to start cleaning the apartment. He was halfway down the hallway when his phone beeped. He dove back toward the couch and snatched up his phone.

**From Blaine: I’d love to. Meet you at the cafe in an hour?**

**To Blaine: Sounds great.**

            His grin was so big it hurt his face.

 

**********

 

            Kurt got to the cafe first and sat at a table for two in the corner. He hung his coat on the back of his chair and adjusted his scarf while the butterflies in his stomach had gymnastics practice.

            The little bell over the door jingled to signal a new arrival, and Kurt looked up to see Blaine looking around the cafe. He wasn't wearing a hat for the first time, and his dark curls were gelled neatly into place, making him look like a 1940s film star.

            Kurt waved, and Blaine flashed him a smile that lit up his whole face. Blaine made his way over and slid off his jacket.

            "Hi, Kurt."

            "Hello." Kurt smiled. He quickly took in Blaine's gray cardigan over a red button-down and skinny black tie. It was the first time Kurt had seen the clothes under Blaine’s coat and—though Kurt didn’t flatter himself that it was for _him_ , he liked what he saw. "What can I get you?" Kurt cut off Blaine's protest. "I insist."

            "Medium drip?"

            Kurt fetched their coffees and sat down across from Blaine.

            "Thank you. So your family is headed back to Ohio?"

            "Yeah, they left a few hours ago. I'm sorry we didn't make it back to the park with you and Sophie. We were worn out from sightseeing."

            "That's all right. Soph was pretty distracted with her cousins all weekend. I'm glad to see you, though."

            Kurt's butterflies were waltzing now. "Me too."

            "Do you miss them?"

            Kurt smiled sadly. "Yeah. I don't like being apart from my family, but New York is my dream. I felt so suffocated in Lima."

            "I know what you mean," Blaine nodded. "I felt like I couldn't really be myself back there."

            Kurt agreed and sipped his drink, his nerves subsiding a bit.

            "So," Blaine said, sitting back and relaxing his posture. "Did you go black Friday shopping?"

            Kurt's grin broke free. "Blaine, it was fantastic."

            They chatted until their coffee was gone and then ordered more coffee and kept talking. Kurt was excited to learn more about Blaine—he'd studied composition and performance in school, and he played several instruments. He was thinking about applying to graduate school and becoming a music teacher.

            “Why teaching instead of performing?”

            “All I’ve ever wanted to do with my life is make art and help people,” Blaine replied lightly. “Making and performing music helps people, I know, but I want to do something more direct than that. I want to make sure kids have music the way I did.”

            Blaine seemed to love classical music as much as Katy Perry and disco. Kurt was completely captivated by the way Blaine's whole face lit up when he was excited about the topic of conversation.

            Blaine was genuinely impressed by the roles that Kurt had had in various off- and off-off-Broadway productions over the past few years. “I’ll have to come see you perform the next chance I get.”

            They had no shortage of things to talk about. After what seemed like no time at all, they realized they'd been sitting in the coffee shop for nearly three hours.

            "I should probably get going," Kurt murmured regretfully. "I go back to work tomorrow and I have so much to do."

            "Can I walk you home?" Blaine asked.

            Kurt smiled shyly. He wasn’t ready for their date to end, either. Was it a date? "I'd like that."

            They bundled up and walked shoulder to shoulder down the sidewalk, arms brushing every so often in comfortable silence.

            "I'm really glad you texted me today," Blaine said finally.

            "Me too. I was worried it might be bad form to show up to a play date without a kid."

            Blaine chuckled. “The coffee would have just wound them up, anyway.”

            Kurt smiled at him, appreciating his easygoing humor.

            They reached Kurt's building much too soon for his liking and stood shyly in front of the door. Blaine looked at his feet and cleared his throat. "So, um...would it be okay if I called you sometime this week and maybe we could have dinner?" he asked.

            A thrill shot through Kurt's belly, and he grinned. "Yes. I'd love to."

            Blaine smiled back. He reached out and squeezed Kurt's arm through his wool coat, just above his elbow. "I'll see you soon."

            "See you, Blaine."


	3. Skating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice skating is a pretty good ice breaker.

            A light blanket of snow had finally fallen in New York, making the city feel much more festive, and during their handful of coffee and dinner dates over the past few weeks, Blaine had been trying to talk Kurt into going ice-skating.

            He was astonished that Kurt had never skated before, and he insisted that Kurt's dancing skills would translate to the ice.

            "Your long limbs will look very graceful gliding around on skates," Blaine had cajoled. "Whereas I'll look more like a hockey goalie."

            Kurt's haughty expression faltered as he failed to suppress a smile. "If I fall and break my ass..."

            "I promise to kiss it all better!" Blaine interjected.

            Kurt blushed and finally agreed.

            "I really like that sweater on you," Blaine commented as Kurt was slipping on his coat. Blaine had met Kurt at his apartment so they could take the train together.

            "Thanks," Kurt replied. He couldn't tell if Blaine meant, 'I admire your flattering fashion choice' or something more like, 'I want to touch that sweater because you're underneath it.'

            Kurt was quiet, and Blaine suspected he was still nervous about the skating, so he filled the silence with the story about the time Nick and Jeff had filled one of their Dalton classrooms with play balls and converted it into a giant ball pit.

            "Wait, you went to Dalton?" Kurt echoed incredulously. Something clicked in his memory. "You were in their a Capella group! They were called some kind of bird, I think?"

            "You know Dalton and the Warblers?" Blaine was just as surprised. "Where did you go?"

            "McKinley. Our glee club was the New Directions. We beat you at regionals!" Kurt teased, triumph in his voice.

            Blaine tried to look put out, but his grin broke free. "That's amazing. We performed on the same stage years ago and never met until now."

            "I always wondered what a school full of boys would be like. I might have preferred that to taking slushies in the face and getting shoved into lockers at McKinley."

            Blaine smiled at him. "You don't strike me as the uniform-wearing type, Kurt. I don't know anything about your situation at school, but you seem like someone who wants to stand out—in the best way."

            Kurt blinked at him. Not only was this man smart and funny (and gorgeous and talented...), he was perceptive.

            He shrugged. "I've never been able to blend in. So I decided to embrace it. It made me a bigger target for bullies, but I'm proud to be different; it's the best thing about me."

            Blaine nodded. "No one should have to blend in to avoid being tormented, but it takes a lot of courage to stand out. I'm impressed you figured that out in high school.”

            "To be honest, I don’t really see you in a bland uniform either." Blaine's impressively bold color choices did not suggest conformity in the least.

            Blaine was pensive for a moment. "It was comfortable, for a while, to have that built-in façade. But it was hard to feel unique there, or know who I was, really. But thank you. Coming from you, I'm sure that's a high compliment," he added with a playful smile.

            "Oh, it is," Kurt said, returning his smile.

            Conversation moved on to much more cheerful topics after that.

            It had been awhile since Kurt had really connected with someone, and he felt those tentative, excited, nervous tingles whenever he saw Blaine or got a text from him. He felt like this could really be something. He thought it was a good sign that Blaine seemed to want to spend time with him, too.

            He only fell down once, and Blaine managed to catch him with an arm around his waist before he hit the ice. Kurt found that Blaine was actually quite graceful on skates. “Low center of gravity,” he’d joked self-deprecatingly.

            They held gloved hands and skated around in circles, and Kurt got less wobbly and more confident. Kurt stretched out his arms and legs, posing in imitation of the figure skaters he'd watched with his mom as a child. “What do you think? Am I as fabulous as Johnny Weir?” Kurt asked.

            “Not nearly enough sequins,” Blaine shot back, snapping pictures with his phone.

            "I don't put on my unitard for just anyone, Blaine," Kurt answered playfully.

            They smiled and flirted like mad and gave playful touches—Blaine especially seemed to be very comfortable with physical contact—but nothing more intimate than handholding and hugs. He'd been sure Blaine was going to go in for a goodnight kiss the other night, but it had been a hug instead. It wasn’t that Kurt was trying to jump immediately into bed with Blaine, but he was seriously starting to worry that he'd misinterpreted and all Blaine was looking for was a friend.

            By the end, they were cold and wet and tired, but their faces hurt from how much they'd been smiling.

            "Do you want to come in for some hot cocoa?" Kurt asked, unlocking the door to his apartment.

            Blaine looked uncertain, his smile faltering a bit.

            Kurt tried not to let his disappointment show. "Just an actual, uncomplicated warm drink. We're both frozen. I’m not sure I’ll ever be warm again."

            Finally, Blaine nodded. "Okay."

            Inside, they peeled off their snowy shoes and coats.

            “I love the colors in here. Did you decorate yourself?” Blaine asked, looking around the apartment.

            “Yeah, thanks,” Kurt smiled.

            Blaine followed Kurt to the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to the stove, watching while Kurt started pulling ingredients from the cupboard. He measured out milk into a saucepan, and Blaine watched him drop a cinnamon stick into each of two mugs and then stretch to reach back into the cupboard for the marshmallows. Blaine chuckled, and Kurt looked over at him curiously. “You take hot chocolate seriously,” Blaine said in explanation.

            Kurt looked up, brow furrowed, and Blaine pointed to the half dozen ingredients amassed on the counter. “I usually just boil water and throw in a packet of Swiss Miss,” he added.

            Kurt chuckled and looked down at the milk. “It tastes better this way.”

            Blaine stepped closer and slid a hand across Kurt’s shoulder and down his back. “I really do like this sweater.”

            Kurt’s pulse quickened and he stopped stirring the milk, turning around to look into Blaine’s soft, kind eyes. “Blaine,” he said, his voice thick. “Can I kiss you?”

            Blaine blinked, and his eyes dropped to Kurt’s lips before dragging back upward. “What?”

            The hesitance made Kurt nervous, and he heard himself just start talking. “I really like you. If you just want to be friends, I need to know because I’ve misread plenty of situations in the past, and I'd like to know up front if you're not attracted to me so that—"

            Blaine interrupted him by pulling him into a kiss with a warm hand on his cheek. It was slow and sweet, and Kurt gripped Blaine’s arm to steady himself. Blaine pulled back, but left his hand where it was, his thumb stroking Kurt’s cheekbone.

            Kurt leaned back in and kissed him again softly. It felt really good to finally be kissing Blaine.

            They both smiled shyly as they broke apart, and Kurt’s stomach swooped like he was in high school again. Blaine squeezed Kurt’s hands. “I really like you, too. You can kiss me whenever you want. I’d just like to take other the physical stuff slow, okay?”

            Kurt looked into his sincere face and nodded. “Of course. There’s no rush.”

            Blaine was relieved and released him, sitting down at Kurt’s little kitchen table.

            Kurt took a second to remember where he was and what he was doing, and turned around to smile into the milk he'd nearly scorched.

            He poured them each a mug of the hot, creamy chocolate and sat down across from Blaine.

            “Are you going home for the holidays?” Blaine asked.

            “Yeah,” Kurt said. “Since they came here for Thanksgiving, all the Hummel-Hudsons are converging in Lima for Christmas.”

            Blaine sipped his cocoa and groaned. “This is so good. You said Hummel-Hudson?”

            “My dad and his wife, Carole Hudson—that’s Finn’s mom. They got married when Finn and I were in high school. My mom died when I was eight.”

            “Oh. Kurt, I’m sorry,” Blaine said softly, but Kurt smiled reassuringly.

            “Thanks. It was a long time ago. My dad...well, he's the best dad I think I could have asked for. And Carole…she’s not my _mom_ , but she’s always been there for me.”

            The affection in Kurt’s voice was unmistakable, and it stirred up such a mixture of emotions for Blaine that he couldn’t identify them all. “They sound great.”

            “What about you?"

            Blaine nodded. "I’m going skiing upstate with Nick and his family.”   

            Kurt raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That sounds terrifying."

            "You've never gone skiing?" Blaine asked.

            Kurt shook his head.

            "Hey, the skating wasn't so bad, right? It's the same idea, except downhill. Sort of."

            Kurt snorted incredulously, but he was glad that Blaine was going to have a fun holiday. "Well, try not to break anything. I like you in one piece."

            “I’ll do my best.”

            "So," Kurt began, "and you don't have to answer this, but…you're not seeing your family at Christmas?"

            Blaine set down his mug and shook his head. "Cooper is busy, and my parents…well. You know I went to Dalton, but I started at public school. I naïvely asked my friend, the only other gay guy I knew, to the Sadie Hawkins dance, just because we both wanted to go. I just told my parents I had a ‘date' and didn't correct their assumption that it was a girl…and we had fun.

            "Afterward, we were sitting outside, waiting for his dad to pick us up. He was a little bit late, just ten minutes or so, and these guys...guys who'd never even said anything to me before, found us, just sitting there talking. They beat the living crap out of us," he finished bluntly.

            Kurt reached out and covered Blaine’s hand with his own. Blaine stared at their hands and kept talking.

            "That's how my parents found out I was gay. They made it abundantly clear that my 'lifestyle' was unacceptable to them. They sent me away to Dalton almost immediately. I was safer there, but mostly they just wanted me out of their sight. They had to keep up appearances, so they didn’t just kick me out, but since I graduated high school they've wanted nothing to do with me."

            "Blaine, that’s horrible.”

            Blaine looked up to see Kurt's startled expression and could have slapped himself. "Oh, god, I’m ruining this. Do you want me to go away?"

            Kurt chuckled and squeezed Blaine’s hand. "I wish you wouldn't."

            "I don't mean to be so depressing. I don't know why I'm telling you this. I usually have a better filter, I promise." Blaine took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "Maybe the holidays make me maudlin."

            “Hey, I'm happy to listen. I can't understand the kind of ignorance that could make a parent do that to their own child. Right after something so traumatic as being the victim of a hate crime. It's their failure, not yours."

            Blaine smiled at Kurt, his eyes soft and warm. "Thank you."

            "Any time."

            They finished their cocoa, and Kurt walked Blaine back to the front door.

            "Thanks for listening to me tonight. I don't usually spend my dates telling sad stories. I haven't done this in a while. I hope I haven't scared you away." He said it jokingly, but his eyes held real vulnerability.

            "Blaine," Kurt said seriously. "Those experiences just prove how strong you are. I'm glad you told me.”

            "You're kind of amazing. Can I hug you?"

            Kurt laughed and wrapped his arms around Blaine, who reciprocated, squeezing him tightly for a moment. Kurt savored the smell of cologne and shampoo and the warmth. _Either this is an exceptionally nice hug, or it's just been_ _far too long since I've had a date_ , he thought.

            "Nick and Jeff and Sophie are coming over for dinner on Thursday night," Blaine informed him. "And I was hoping you'd come too if you're free."

            Kurt bit his lip. Blaine wanted him to meet his chosen family. "I'd love to. What time?"

            "Seven at my place?"

            "Sounds good."

            "Okay. I'll see you then."

            Kurt helped him pull his coat back on and tie his scarf, grateful to be touching him, even if it was just his clothes.

            Blaine's hand slid up Kurt's arm as he leaned in closer and brushed his warm lips against Kurt's cheek. He watched Kurt’s cheeks darken.

            "Goodnight, Blaine Warbler" Kurt murmured, wishing he could say more.

            Blaine smiled so brilliantly at him that it made Kurt's heart ache. "Goodnight."


	4. Christmas

             Kurt had been to the front door of Blaine's apartment, but not yet inside. He shifted the small gift bag in his hand and rang the doorbell. He didn't have to wait long before Blaine opened the door with a grin and pulled him inside. Blaine pressed a kiss to his cheek and took his coat.

            Kurt's eyes raked down Blaine's body. Kurt couldn't help it if Blaine looked fantastic in green.

            "Do you approve?" Blaine asked, forcing Kurt to drag his eyes back upward. When he did, he saw amusement and a bit of smugness there.

            "You're gorgeous, Blaine," Kurt answered softly.

            Blaine was surprised at the words, but more so at how good it felt to hear them. He was just a little bit thrilled to hear someone as beautiful as Kurt say such a thing about him.

            "Just trying to keep up with you," Blaine retorted.

            Kurt cleared his throat and came to his senses. "Oh. This is for you." Kurt handed him the wine bottle gift bag he'd been clutching.

            "Thanks." Blaine was glad for something to do with his hands.

            Voices from the kitchen let Kurt know that Nick and Jeff were already there, and right on cue Sophie ran into the living room and stopped just short of jumping into Blaine's arms when she spotted Kurt. Her parents trailed behind her.

            “Kurt, this is Nick and Jeff, and you already met Sophie.” Kurt shook the adults' hands in turn and then squatted down to hold his hand out to Sophie, as well. “Everyone, this is Kurt.”

            Sophie reached out her hand shyly, and Kurt smiled brightly at her. “Hi,” she said.

            “Hi, Sophie.”

            “It's so nice to finally meet you,” Jeff said.   

            "We've heard a lot about you," Nick added.

            Blaine took Kurt's arm then and said, “Let me show you around.”

            Kurt heartily approved of the apartment. It was cozy, and the decor was eclectic and tasteful. There was an upright piano in the corner of the living room, and an entire room devoted to music: Kurt saw guitars, a cello, and swaths of sheet music, all surrounded by bookshelves. It was the sort of room Kurt could wander into and never leave. After a cursory glance at the other rooms (including Blaine's bedroom, which was lovely and inviting and Kurt really couldn't spend too much time thinking about it) they returned to the living room.

            At Blaine's urging, they all sat themselves down on the couch with glasses of wine in hand.

            "Kurt, you’re an actor?" Nick asked Kurt curiously.

            "Oh, gosh, only sometimes," Kurt replied. "I audition whenever I can."

            "Musicals or straight plays?"

            "I prefer musicals."

            Jeff nodded in approval and launched into the story of when the Warblers had attempted showtunes for one of their competitions with disastrous consequences. They'd stuck to top-40 after that.

            "Kurt also works for Vogue," Blaine added.

            "Vogue dot com," Kurt corrected, hoping he was projecting humility. "I'm just a Junior Fashion News Writer."

            "They both sound like demanding jobs," Nick said.

            Kurt shrugged a shoulder. "I've been trying as hard as I can not to have to choose between fashion and performing. The time might come, but so far it's worked out okay."

            Kurt learned that Jeff was an architect and Nick was a lawyer. They'd been high school sweethearts, together for nearly ten years and married for just over two.

            The small talk mostly consisted of Kurt telling Nick and Jeff what he had already told Blaine, and what Blaine had already recounted to his friends. But they asked politely anyway, and Kurt told some stories to fill in the gaps that they didn't know.

            Over dinner (which Kurt praised highly because it was delicious), Nick told some embarrassing stories about Blaine during their Dalton days. It sounded like Nick and Jeff had sort of adopted Blaine sometime in their sophomore year and they'd all been inseparable ever since. They really were his family, Kurt realized.

            "Do you have plans for Christmas?" Jeff asked Kurt, bringing his thoughts back to the present.

            Kurt nodded. "My family came here for Thanksgiving, so I'm going to Ohio. The holiday season is the one time of the year everybody makes a concerted effort to see each other. My brother and his family are in Ohio, and my dad and stepmom are in D.C. at the moment. Our schedules can get complicated."

            “What do they do in D.C.?”

            “My dad consults with some advocacy organizations. He used to be a congressman," Kurt added, almost bashfully. He didn't want to brag about himself, but he'd brag about his dad all day long.

            Nick's eyebrows went up. "Oh, wow. What was it like to grow up with a politician for a father?" He kept his tone curious, but Kurt could see the skepticism in his eyes. Kurt had met the children of some other members of Congress, and he knew Nick's reaction wasn’t entirely unwarranted, but he still bristled a little. It wasn’t the first (and it wouldn’t be the last) time someone had judged Kurt based on his father’s job—whether at the tire shop or Capitol Hill.

            “I didn’t. My dad ran a garage for most of my life. When I was in high school, there was a candidate running for office who wanted to get rid of arts programs in schools, and my dad ran against her and won. He knew that the school glee club had basically saved my life. Then he got re-elected twice, which was basically a miracle because he refuses to pretend he doesn’t have a gay son.”

            Kurt glanced at Blaine, wondering if his response was a little too pointed. But Blaine was watching in amusement, looking like he'd enjoyed seeing Kurt put Nick in his place just a little bit.

            Nick’s expression had softened during Kurt’s explanation. “That’s…that’s great,” he replied. "I think I remember those ads on tv."

            Jeff rubbed a hand over his husband’s back and smiled at Kurt. “It's nice you’ll get to spend time with them,” he said diplomatically.

            After dinner Blaine played the piano while everyone sang Christmas Carols. Sophie got a big kick out of it. Kurt gleaned that this was sort of a Christmas tradition for them, and he was honored to be let in on it. Plus, he got to hear Blaine's voice, which was expressive and amazing. And Blaine watched him in wonder when he sang, making him blush.

            Halfway through watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Sophie was getting drowsy, and her parents decided to get her home before she dozed off. Blaine's slid a hand down Kurt's arm and entwined their fingers. "Can you stay awhile?" he asked Kurt softly. Kurt nodded.           

            Nick and Jeff gathered up Sophie's bag and all their coats and boots, and hugged their goodbyes. Nick and Jeff seemed to really mean it when they said it was a pleasure to meet him, and Sophie waved a sleepy goodbye. They headed out into the still, dark night, and Blaine closed the door behind them.

            Blaine grinned and led him to the couch. "They think you're great, by the way. Sorry if they were a little protective at times."

            "They were fine,” Kurt waved him off with a smile. "Wait till you meet my dad."

            Blaine sort of froze and stared at him, and Kurt remembered that maybe joking about scary parents wasn't such a good idea with Blaine.

            "I'm kidding, really. He's a big softy."

            "He sounds great from what you've told me," Blaine said.

            "I didn't want to ask with her in the room, but is Sophie adopted?"

            "Yeah, they adopted her when she was two."

            "Oh, wow, she's still pretty new to the family, then."

            Blaine nodded. "She was painfully shy at first, but she's starting to open up. She didn't hide from you, so that's progress."

            Kurt smiled and thought about his own incredibly extroverted niece. “Oh, I brought you something," Kurt remembered suddenly.

            "Oh, you didn't have to…"

            "I know, but I did," Kurt smiled. "I'll be right back." He came back with a flat, slender box and handed it to Blaine. "Merry Christmas."

            Blaine opened his present deliberately, pulling the ribbon to untie it and slipping off the lid of the box. Inside, nestled in tissue paper, was a gold and olive-green striped bow tie.

            "The fabric reminded me of your eyes."

            Blaine grinned. "You made this, didn't you?"

            Kurt nodded.

            "It's beautiful. I can't believe I own a Kurt Hummel original. This probably pales in comparison." Blaine produced up a small square package and handed it to Kurt, who grinned and tore off the bright green paper.

            "You made me a CD?" Kurt asked.

            Blaine shrugged one shoulder, feeling like an idiot for not getting Kurt something better. "It's a lot of random songs that make me think of you. And some I think you'll like. There's some of that band you liked the other day. And some stuff I've written, 'cause you said you wanted to hear it…"

            "Thank you, Blaine," Kurt said earnestly. Blaine exhaled, relieved. Kurt knew how important music was to him and seemed to take his homemade gift in the spirit in which it was intended.

            Blaine wrapped his arms around him and kissed him with all the feeling he'd been holding in check while Nick and Jeff and Sophie were there.

            Kurt's tiny yelp of surprise was swallowed up by the kiss, and he gripped Blaine's shoulder just to keep his body from floating away. Blaine cradled Kurt's face in both his hands; it was all warmth and soft lips and Kurt's senses were filled with Blaine.

            Reluctantly, they broke apart. Kurt looked down shyly, but couldn’t help the happy smile that crept across his face. He slipped his fingers between Blaine's and pressed their palms together.

            "We both really played to our strengths, hmm?" Kurt suggested.

            Blaine didn't follow, too distracted by their sudden nearness. "Hmm?"

            "With our gift choices."

            "Oh," Blaine laughed. "Yeah, we did."

            After a moment, Kurt spoke.     "My friend Rachel has a New Year's Eve party every year. Do you want to be my date?" he asked. "I'd like you to meet my friends.”

            "I'd love to. But before you leave, would you do me a favor?" Blaine asked, turning a bit shy.

            "Of course."

            "You have a beautiful voice. Would you sing one last song with me?"

            Kurt beamed at him. "I'd love to."

            "I think you'll know it."

            They sat together on the piano bench, and Blaine started playing. Kurt laughed as he recognized the opening notes.

_"I really can't stay..."_

_"But, Baby, it's cold outside..."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to any children of politicians children out there, but I wanted Blaine's friends to be a little skeptical of Kurt at first.


	5. Celebration

            Kurt reached over to straighten Blaine's bowtie and frowned at him. "Is something wrong?"

            "I'm nervous," Blaine admitted.

            "I promise, they're going to love you." He tugged on Blaine's lapel, pulling him into a soft, chaste kiss. "Ready?"

            Blaine nodded, and Kurt rang the doorbell.

            Rachel opened the door, wearing, to Kurt's surprise and satisfaction, quite an elegant mint cocktail dress. "Kurt!" she exclaimed. As soon as they were inside the apartment, she hugged him and kissed his cheek. "It's good to see you." She turned and looked curiously at Blaine.

            "Rachel, this is Blaine Anderson," Kurt said, resting a hand at the small of his date's back. "Blaine, this is Rachel Berry."

            Rachel's eyes flicked between them in appraisal. She smiled warmly and kissed his cheek, as well. "It's lovely to meet you, Blaine."

            "Likewise," Blaine smiled. He and Kurt slipped out of their coats before letting Rachel take them. She directed them to the bar and disappeared into the apartment. Blaine knew that Kurt and Rachel had been rivals and friends since high school. Kurt said he found her eccentricities to be trying at times, but the affection with which he spoke about her betrayed how close they were.

            "Drink?" Kurt offered.

            "Sure. Whatever you're having."

            While Kurt was gone, Blaine took in his surroundings. The apartment was large and elegant, and Kurt had told Blaine that he'd helped Rachel decorate it. It was charming and feminine, and Blaine admired Kurt's work, even if he didn't know much about decorating. He watched the people, all pleasantly chatting, arranged into small groups scattered around the room. A couple in the corner caught his eye, as they were both staring at him. They carefully looked away when he spotted them.

            He turned his head and suddenly found himself confronted with two women standing in his personal space.

            "You're here with Lady Hummel, right?" the brunette wondered, looking him up and down before settling on his bow tie.

            "Uh—with Kurt—yes," Blaine answered, feeling uncomfortable for more reasons than he could count.

            "You're lucky, Kurt's a good kisser," the blonde woman said calmly, by way of greeting.

            Blaine's laugh was a bit forced, and there was a hint of terror in his eyes. "I'm Blaine."

            "Brittany S. Pierce. This is Santana."

            "Nice to meet you both."

            "I bet Hummelina just eats this right up," said (apparently) Santana with a sweeping gesture from his hair down to his clothing.

            Kurt arrived at exactly that moment and distracted the girls by hugging them.

            "Kurt, did you know that there's a unicorn dolphin?" Brittany said excitedly. "Santana showed me a picture. It's called a Nor-whale or something."

            "Narwhal," Kurt supplied, looking at her with wide eyes.

            "Right, you’re a narwhal."

            Kurt gave her a smile and a nod, pressed a glass into Blaine's hand, and linked arms with him to lead him away. "Don't let them scare you, they're harmless. Well, Brittany's harmless. Santana won't hurt you unless you give her a reason."

            "Noted," Blaine said slowly. "Why are you a narwhal?"

            "I started out as a dolphin, which, as you know, are really just gay sharks," he deadpanned. "Don't try to understand Brittany. Oh! There's Tina." He led Blaine over to the corner to the couple who had been eyeing him earlier.

            Tina spotted Kurt, and her face lit up. "Kurt!" She kissed his cheek. "It's good to see you."

            "You too. Hey, Mike," Kurt replied, hugging the tall man beside her. "This is Blaine. Tina and Mike."

            Tina leaned in and kissed Blaine on the cheek, too. "It's nice to meet you, Blaine," she said with a bright smile. "I've heard great things about you."

            "Likewise," Blaine smiled. He liked Tina immediately. "Hi, Mike," he said, shaking his hand.

            "Hey. So I hear you're a musician?" Mike asked.

            "Yeah, I play a few instruments. What about you two?"

            "I'm a dancer. Tina's an actress."

            "Wow," Blaine said as Rachel came up to stand at Kurt's elbow. "There's a lot of talent in this room."

            "Why, _thank_ you, Blaine," she said as if he'd complimented her personally. "We fall into several categories: Singers, dancers, actors, those who do all of the above like Kurt and myself, and of course, the musicians."

            "You'll get to witness it first-hand soon enough," Kurt warned.

            "We'll start the karaoke in a few minutes,” Rachel said, pointedly ignoring Kurt. “We all look forward to your performance, Blaine,” she added, and marched across the room to rescue her coffee table from a glass without a coaster.

            Blaine's eyebrows drifted upward, but he didn't comment.

            Kurt rolled his eyes. Some things would never change, and karaoke at every Rachel Berry party was one tradition that was here to stay.

            "At least it's not spin the bottle," Mike muttered.

            “You don’t have to sing. Rachel just gets overly excited about most things most of the time,” Kurt assured him. “And she’s a little too used to getting her way.”

            Tina nodded. "We hated her in glee club for taking all the solos. She was always meant to be a star. Kurt, too. Have you heard him sing?

            Blaine smiled at the thought of their flirty Christmas duet. "Yes. Just a couple of times. He's amazing."

            Tina smiled warmly and Kurt sipped his drink.

            “Come on, let’s get another drink before the show starts,” Mike said, tugging Tina along with him. She waved to Kurt and Blaine and followed him into the kitchen.

            “So is this an audition to be your boyfriend, then?” Blaine teased with an easy smile.

            “Do you want the part?” Kurt asked, surprised but pleased. He’d been careful not to use the word boyfriend, even though that’s how he thought of Blaine in his head.

            Blaine nodded. “Definitely.”

            “Then it’s yours."

            "Welcome everyone, to the Fifth Annual Rachel Berry New Year's Eve Extravaganza!" Rachel said cheerfully into the microphone of her karaoke machine. She started off the night with a very energetic rendition of "You Can't Stop the Beat."

            After she'd been sufficiently applauded, she relinquished the microphone and gave Blaine a pointed look.

            "You really don't have to," Kurt told him again.

            Blaine grinned. "Oh, yes, I do." He let Rachel drag him up to choose a song, and then picked up the microphone. "Hello. I'm Blaine. Kurt's boyfriend," he added, smiling at Kurt.

            "He's a good sport," Tina said from Kurt's elbow. "And hot."

            Kurt recognized the song immediately and started to laugh. " _You think I'm pretty without any makeup on…_ "

            Blaine's eyes kept returning to Kurt as he sang, and Kurt tried to pretend he wasn't blushing like crazy—he was only flushed from the alcohol in his glass—when Blaine sang right at him that he'd let Kurt put his hands on him in his skin-tight jeans. At the end of it, the room burst into applause. Tina was fanning herself and Rachel was beaming.

            Kurt was falling in love.

            Tina pulled Mike onto the stage and Kurt led Blaine away to the relative privacy of the kitchen, where he kissed him soundly. "That was great, Blaine."

            "I didn't embarrass you?"

            "No. And I think my friends approve. Although, Rachel might be upset that you upstaged her."

            Blaine laughed richly. "I wouldn't be a Warbler if I didn't try to show you guys up."

            Kurt was quiet for a moment as he held Blaine's gaze. "I’m really glad I met you," he confessed.

            Blaine's stomach did a silly little swoop, and he returned Kurt's shy smile. "Me, too."

            Santana burst into their private moment in the kitchen (" _Wanky_."), followed by Brittany and Tina, and announced that everyone was taking a shot.

            Blaine glanced at Kurt and shrugged. "They're _your_ friends. 'When in Rome', right?"

            With a half hour until midnight, Blaine and Kurt sang a silly duet of "Just Can't Get Enough." (Blaine's slightly drunken idea—"I want us to make music together, Kurt!")

            As soon as they were away from the microphone, Blaine pulled Kurt into a kiss.

            "Dolphins mate for life," Brittany announced nearby.

            "Your friends are insane," Blaine told Kurt. "I love it."

            Soon, karaoke gave way to dancing. Blaine held a hand out to Kurt, eyebrow raised. Kurt surprised even himself with his nod. He guessed the shot of whiskey must have had something to do with that.

            Blaine had never seen Kurt dance, and it was mesmerizing. Kurt lost himself in the music and Blaine dared to touch, emboldened by the alcohol. He moved his hands up Kurt's arms and down his back and finally let them rest on his hips. He grinned when Kurt gripped his shirt and slid their mouths together.

            They were all cheerfully drunk by the time they counted down the last thirty seconds of the year. There was an explosion of noisemakers and confetti and camera flashes, and Kurt kissed Blaine, tasting like champagne and smiling against his lips. Around them, the room erupted into celebratory noise and "Auld Lang Syne," and Blaine rested his head on Kurt's shoulder, feeling incredibly happy.


	6. New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine has some stuff to get off his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for frank talk about sex and depression and feelings of worthlessness.

            Blaine woke up and immediately tried to pretend he hadn't. The room was spinning and his head felt like someone had sat on it all night. He cracked open an eye and looked around slowly. This was not his bedroom. _Oh, god._

            "Where am I?" he groaned to himself.

            There was a soft knock behind him, and Blaine twisted around to see Kurt paused in the doorway. "I thought I heard some sounds of misery in here," he said lightly.

            Oh, right.

            “Kurt."

            It wasn't Kurt's bedroom, though. Blaine thought he must be in the spare room, which was a relief.

            If he concentrated, he could retrieve the muffled memory of Kurt leading him here, giving him water, and putting him to bed.

            "How are you feeling?" Kurt sat on the edge of the bed, carrying a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol.

            He managed to sit up and assess how he was feeling. "A little woozy. I've felt worse."

            Kurt handed him the water and shook two pills into his hand. "Thanks." The water felt really good on his throat.

            "I hope it's all right that I brought you here. You’re in the spare bedroom, obviously, nothing happened."

            "Of course. Thank you for taking care of me. I’m a notorious lightweight.” He grimaced. "Plus, I remember Santana telling me she was going to, quote, 'get me shit-faced.'”

            Kurt laughed. “Whatever you did to deserve that was your own fault.”

            Blaine chuckled.

            "You're welcome to sleep more, or shower, or whatever you want. I don’t have anywhere I have to be today. Do you think you can stomach food? It might make you feel better."

            Blaine suddenly realized he was starving. "Yeah, food sounds really good."

            "What would you like? Eggs, oatmeal, pancakes..."

            "Pancakes, please?" Blaine asked, looking hopeful.

            "Coming right up."

            "A shower sounds good, too, if it's not too much trouble."

            "Don't be silly," Kurt scoffed. He left the room for a moment and found a NYADA t-shirt and some sweatpants (that had somehow ended up in the back of his otherwise very stylish dresser) and a spare toothbrush in the medicine cabinet. He pointed Blaine toward the clean towels and left him to it, focusing on breakfast and not the fact that Blaine was in his shower. 

            Kurt was flipping the first batch of pancakes when Blaine came barefoot into the kitchen. He was wearing loose jeans than Blaine had seen so far and a simple long-sleeved t-shirt. He still looked amazing, but it was the most dressed-down Blaine had ever seen him. "That smells amazing."

            Kurt turned and smiled at him, and pointed the spatula in his hand at the coffee maker. "Coffee's ready, help yourself." Blaine poured himself a cup of coffee. He put three pancakes on a plate and set it down on the table in front of Blaine.

            "Eat them while they're hot."

            "Oh, my god, blueberries," Blaine said, as if he'd never seen anything more delicious. He moaned around a mouthful of pancakes and Kurt tried not to stare at his lips.

            Kurt finished a few more pancakes for himself and sat across from Blaine with his own plate.

            "I'm sorry I got so sloppy last night. I drank more than I meant to.”

            Kurt nodded, his lips curled up slightly. "The shots Santana passed around after the ball dropped hit you kind of hard. I tried to make you drink water, but you just wanted to sleep."

            Blaine cringed. "Did I completely embarrass myself?" he groaned.

            Kurt laughed. "No, you were kind of adorable. Even drunk, you were dapper," he said fondly. "You serenaded me with 'It's Not Unusual' on the train, and you kept touching my hair.”

            Blaine covered his face with his hand in embarrassment. "Oh, god, I did. It was so _tall_. I’m really not much of a drinker.”

            Kurt smiled. "It’s okay. I’m glad you had fun. I had a great time. I was worried the weirdos I call my friends might scare you away."

            "They're great. A little intense, maybe, but they care about you a lot."

            "They loved you. I've got a dozen text messages to prove it. I think Tina might be actually _in love_ with you. Even Santana liked you, and she doesn't like anyone."

            Blaine insisted on washing the dishes, and then they curled up on the couch and watched When Harry Met Sally. It was the only New Year's-related movie either of them could think of, and Kurt happened to have it on DVD, and they'd both seen it enough times that they could talk over the boring parts.

            Unable to resist any longer, Kurt slid his fingers into Blaine's drying curls. "I like being able to do this," Kurt murmured. "I can't with the hair gel you usually wear."

            "Oh, no," Blaine groaned, clasping a hand over Kurt's. "I didn't mean for you to see this! I got distracted by delicious pancakes!"

            Kurt slapped his hand away and carded his fingers through his hair once again. "Stop that. I like the curls. I want to see the man behind the product."

            Blaine relaxed, resigned to let Kurt see his hair au naturel. "Mm. That feels nice," he murmured, letting his eyes fall closed. He felt Kurt’s lips press gently against his own. Blaine kissed him back and slid an arm around him.

            Kurt paused the kissing for a moment and smiled at him. "I always liked New Year's Eve. In addition to being the most glamorous of holidays, it always feels like a fresh start, when you have the whole year stretched out in front of you."

            Kurt’s fingertips rubbed gently at his scalp and Blaine imagined how good it would feel if Kurt closed his fist and tugged on his hair. The though had him kissing Kurt harder, and Kurt pulled him closer until Blaine was practically lying on top of him. Their hips came into contact and Blaine could feel that Kurt was just as turned on as he was. Kurt’s breath hitched in the most delicious way, bringing Blaine to his senses.

            “I can’t,” Blaine said suddenly, pulling away and putting some space between them. “I’m sorry,” Blaine apologized.

            “Oh.” Kurt sat up, trying to pushing down the hurt and confusion he felt. “No, you, um, you said you wanted to take things slowly. I didn’t mean to get carried away.”

            Blaine sighed reached for Kurt’s hand, which he gave freely. “I don’t want you to think I’m rejecting you. Will you let me explain? In the interest of fresh starts.”

            Kurt’s stomach twisted unpleasantly, but he gave Blaine his full attention. “Okay,” he said quietly.

            “My last relationship ended pretty catastrophically, and I handled it poorly.” He was looking pleadingly at Kurt as he spoke, begging him to understand how fragile he still felt. “I’m not explaining this well.”

            “I understand, you don’t have to explain.”

            “No, I want to. It’s time I tell you.”

            "Okay. Take your time," Kurt encouraged.

            Blaine took a breath and explained, "Almost a year ago, I met Sebastian. He was...charming. Exciting. He made me feel attractive and wanted." Kurt nodded, watching Blaine closely. “We were together for months, and as time went on, I started to get suspicious. There were little things at first, like he was really secretive about his phone, and he’d go out 'with friends' all the time and never invite me.”

            Blaine leaned back, fiddling with his hands as he continued. "In hindsight, I should have realized that he was lying. It seems so obvious now. I didn't believe it until my friend Trent actually saw him pick someone up at a gay bar on a night he told me he was working late."

            Kurt gave a sympathetic wince.

            "He wasn't just cheating. It's almost funny how much of an understatement that word is. He never really stopped sleeping around the entire time we were supposed to be dating. My friends tried to warn me, but I didn't want to see it. I wanted to be loved." Blaine fell silent and looked down for a moment.

            Kurt's heart constricted at the sad look on his face. Blaine was too used to the people he loved not loving him back.

            “It really messed me up for a while. Off and on since high school, I’ve had some issues with depression…” he glanced up at Kurt to gauge his reaction, but Kurt was only listening attentively. “And that time it got really bad. So Nick convinced me to go back to therapy. I um, I still go about once a month."

            "So when I say I want to take things slowly, what I mean is that even though I want you—" Blaine paused and squeezed his hand, and his voice descended into a timbre that made Kurt shiver—"even though I _really_ want you, I'm just not ready to let myself have sex yet." Blaine hastened to add, "And I promise it's not that I think you're anything like him, or because I think there's anything wrong with sex. I just need some time to feel comfortable. Does that make sense?"

            “Blaine,” Kurt said softly, reaching for Blaine’s hand and squeezing it. “Yeah, it makes sense. Of course we won't do anything you're not ready for.”

            “I should have explained sooner. I was worried you might not want to be with someone with so much baggage.”

            “I'm grateful that you told me.”

            “We can talk about it—therapy, whatever. My therapist knows about you, so it’s only right that you know about her. You can ask me questions if you have them. I don’t want you to feel like you have to tiptoe around anything.”

            Kurt nodded and tangled their fingers together. “I want you to do whatever you have to to keep yourself safe and healthy, Blaine. I like the speed we’ve been going. I won’t push you. If I did today, I’m sorry.” He looked straight into Blaine’s eyes, trying to convey how sincere he was. Kurt smiled and continued. “Can I tell you a story?”

            Blaine nodded, stroking the back of his hand with his thumb.

            “When I was a young gay teen,” he said with slight self-deprecation, “I was terrified of sex. I thought it was messy and invasive and shameful, thanks to some internalized homophobia, and I would put my fingers in my ears and sing whenever anyone tried to bring it up.” Blaine’s eyebrows twitched up, but he kept listening. “When I was…I don’t know, seventeen, maybe, my dad figured out that I probably needed to know some things that public school was never going to teach me, so he sat me down and forced me into the most mortifying conversation of my entire life. He gave me brochures about the _mechanics_ of gay sex, his words,” Kurt rolled his eyes fondly. “And he told me that sex feels great, but that it affects your heart, too. He told me that I matter, and that sex should be about connecting to another person. I’ve never been so embarrassed, but we were both better men for it.”

            Blaine was smiling at him, fond and beautiful. “I get it, Blaine. You matter, too. I’m just glad to be with you.”

            Blaine hugged him close and buried his face against Kurt's neck. "Thank you. Happy New Year," he murmured, sending a pleasant tingle through Kurt's skin with the vibration.

            "Happy New Year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, poor Blaine. I don't know why I wanted him to be so sad in this story.
> 
> I needed some Blangst and Sebastian was convenient. I intended to rewrite this so that he wasn't such a villain, but then I got lazy.


	7. Stage

            Kurt was nervous.

            He'd landed a big role in a small off-Broadway production that was finally opening. But that wasn't the reason.

            Burt and Carole were flying in to see him perform. They'd seen him perform before, though, and knowing they would be in the audience didn't bother him much.

            They hadn't been able to fly in for opening night (though Blaine had been there and helped him through his opening night jitters: "Blaine, I think I'm going to throw up. Has anyone ever died from stage fright? I'm going to open my mouth and nothing's going to come out!"), so they had come in for the Sunday matinee and would stay overnight.

            And _they wanted to meet Blaine_.

            Kurt had assured Blaine that it was fine if he wasn't ready for that, since they'd agreed to take things slowly. But Blaine had been perfect and gentlemanly and said he'd love to meet them, and that he'd go to the show with them.

            And so Kurt was _nervous_. He wanted first impressions on both sides to be great.

            They arrived just a couple of hours before Kurt had to be backstage. It was enough time to come to Kurt's and officially meet Blaine before they'd be sitting with him in the theater. For hours.

            Blaine rang Kurt's doorbell, awash in nerves and excitement and just a little bit of nausea. It wasn’t really the meeting he was worried about—he was generally good with parents (besides his own), and he knew Kurt’s dad and stepmom were kind and supportive. But meeting-the-parents felt like a big step, and thinking about that served as a reminder of how big his feelings were getting.

            Kurt opened the door and Blaine felt immediate relief. He could do this. For Kurt.

            "Hi, come on in." Kurt kissed his cheek, hung up his coat, and took his hand. He drew him inside where his parents stood up from their seats on the couch. Kurt bit his lip. "Dad, Carole, this is Blaine Anderson."

            “Hello. It’s nice to meet you,” Blaine said. He reached out a hand toward Carole, but she pulled him into a warm hug instead.

            "Just call me Carole," she said. Blaine pulled back and smiled at her.

            "Mr. Hummel," Blaine said, shaking his hand. "I’ve heard a lot of great things about you, sir. Both of you."

            "Same here, Blaine, it's good to meet you. And it's Burt."

            Kurt made sure everyone had coffee, and they all sat down in the living room.

            "Kurt said you're a musician?" Burt questioned.

            "Yes. And I compose."

            "And that pays the bills?"

            "Dad!"

            "What?"

            Blaine smiled. "I manage okay. I definitely don’t have a traditional nine-to-five kind of job, but I like the freedom I have to work on whatever projects I like. I end up doing a whole lot of different kinds of work."

            Burt nodded. "Sounds like you must be pretty talented."

            Blaine gave a modest little half-shrug. "I've always loved music. It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do.”

            "How long have you lived in the city?" Carole asked.

            "I came here for college, same as Kurt, so...about eight years now?"

            "I hear you're a football fan?" Burt said with a glint in his eye only his favorite sport could produce.

            "Yes, sir," Blaine confirmed with a grin.

            Kurt and Carole rolled their eyes indulgently. At least they would have no lack of things to talk about.

 

************

           

            "Do you like the theater?" Blaine asked Burt and Carole as they took their seats.

            "I do," Carole answered, leaning over Burt, who was seated between them, "Burt tries."

            "I just don't think I really _get_ it. Still, I've learned a lot over the years," Burt added. "How about you?"

            "Yeah, I love it," Blaine answered. "There was a time I wanted to be up on that stage, myself."

            Blaine tried to imagine his own father trying to like something just because it was important to Blaine, but it was like trying to imagine a brand new color. He knew it was senseless to compare his family to Kurt's, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss for what he'd never had.

            Blaine had already seen the show, but this time he picked up on some nuance he'd missed before. And mostly, he watched Kurt. He was stunning. Perhaps Blaine was biased, but as far as he was concerned, Kurt stole every scene he was in. He was in his element on stage.

            Burt and Carole watched the show and enjoyed it, but every so often Burt snuck a glance at Blaine watching Kurt. Seeing the adoring look of pride on his face, something inside Burt shifted and clicked into place. Blaine seemed smitten.

            At intermission, Carole went to the ladies' room and Burt turned to Blaine. "I need some water. Let's go get a drink." He wasn't going to have a lot of chances to get Blaine alone. And he had some questions.

            At Kurt's apartment, Blaine had been preoccupied with abating Kurt's nervousness. Blaine didn't want him freaking out just before a performance. Now, however, it was just him and Burt at the end of an interminable line leading up to the bar.

            Burt chuckled. "Relax, kid, there's no firing squad. I just want to talk to you without Kurt or Carole hovering. They're both really good at it."

            Blaine tried to smile.

            "Are you out?" Burt asked. "To your friends and family?"

            Blaine was surprised at the question. "Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"

            "Kurt doesn't need anyone dragging him back into the closet, you know? I don't think there's a closet on the planet big enough for him, anyway."

            He chuckled at the affectionate joke, and felt a little bit more in awe of Burt Hummel. "No, I'd never ask him to hide who he is."

            "Good. He deserves someone who's proud to be with him. So where do you see things going with the two of you?”

            Blaine’s heart was racing. "Well, we agreed to take things slowly, but I want to make him happy, if I can. He's the most moral, compassionate, bravest person I've ever met."

            Burt's expression softened, and Blaine felt as if he'd passed a test. "He gets that from his mom."

            "I'm blown away by your relationship. Your whole family."

            Burt gripped Blaine's shoulder. "You're part of the family, too, now, okay? You seem like a decent guy, and I can tell you make Kurt happy."

            Acceptance. Just like that.

            "Thanks." Blaine was just a little bit choked up, but they both ignored it. "Your support means a lot."

            Burt ordered three water bottles and handed two of them to Blaine. Burt paid, waving Blaine off, and uncapped his own water. "I think Kurt was afraid I'd try to scare you off."

            Blaine said seriously, "No offense, sir, but I'm not sure that's possible." No one but Kurt could tell him they couldn't be together.

            Burt clapped him on the back, and they returned to their seats.

 

************

 

            Later, over a late dinner at one of Kurt's favorite spots, Burt was telling stories from Kurt's childhood that had Blaine laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes. "He had the whole football team dancing to 'Single Ladies' right there on the field! The other team didn't know what to think."

            Kurt narrowed his eyes at both of them. "We won the game, didn't we? The only winning game of the entire season. And that was the night I officially came out."

            "I was so proud," Burt smiled fondly. Blaine wondered whether Burt was thinking about the football game or Kurt’s coming out. A look at Kurt’s smile told him it was probably both. "Oh, and then there was the time he pretended to be straight and dated that cheerleader...what was her name? Brittany."

            Blaine turned at stared at Kurt, wide-eyed. "Brittany? Santana's Brittany?"

            "Yes," Kurt answered miserably. "It was...a misguided experiment."

            Blaine laid his hand on Kurt's thigh, just above his knee, and squeezed reassuringly. “I’m glad you decided to be yourself.” Even Blaine’s honey eyes seemed to be smiling at him. Blaine was really enjoying spending time with Kurt's family, and Kurt figured he could withstand a little good-natured teasing for his sake. Blaine wasn't really laughing _at_ him.

            Kurt looped his arm through Blaine's and bumped their shoulders together, and they sat like that for the rest of the evening.

            Carole's stories about Kurt were much kinder. She told Blaine what a great job Kurt had done planning her and Burt's wedding, and about the times Kurt and Finn had joined forces to wreak havoc on their parents' lives. Kurt must have warned them; they steered clear of the subject of Blaine's family, and Blaine was grateful for that.

            At the end of the evening, Burt and Carole headed back to their hotel. They'd insisted on getting a room so they didn't disturb Kurt on his day off, but Kurt suspected they hadn't wanted to make anything awkward in case he and Blaine had planned a sleepover. Rather than have to get into any detail about his and Blaine's love life, Kurt had compromised by making them agree to have breakfast with him.

            "Blaine, you should come to a Buckeyes game with me and Finn when you come for a visit," Burt said.

            "That sounds great," Blaine beamed. They shook hands and hugged their goodbyes, and took their separate taxis.

            "You were incredible tonight. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you on stage," Blaine said as Kurt walked him to his front door.

            Kurt’s cheeks flushed and he ducked his head. “I can’t help it if I pull focus,” he joked coyly. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet Dad and Carole, and for coming to the show.”

            “It was my pleasure."

            "They loved you," Kurt said. " _I_ love you." His heart had sped up with that admission, and he took in the surprised lift of Blaine's eyebrows and the way his mouth dropped open just a little bit as he searched Kurt's face.

            Blaine squeezed his arms and smiled. “I love you, too.”

            Relieved and happy, Kurt leaned in and kissed Blaine, slow and deep, and Blaine’s knees went weak.

            Blaine pulled back a little and blinked his eyes open. Kurt’s face was still hanging there, lips red and slightly parted, eyes opening slowly. He looked so beautiful that Blaine dove back in, splaying a hand across Kurt’s cheek and jaw, his thumb brushing his earlobe. Kurt made a little sound that was halfway between surprised and pleased, and Blaine just kept kissing him for as long as he didn’t have to breathe.

            “I hate saying goodnight to you,” Kurt murmured once they pulled apart again. Kurt slid his palms across Blaine’s shoulders and down his arms to his elbows as if smoothing his shirt.

            "We don't have to say it yet. Come in for a while."

            "Okay."

            "Are your parents heading back tomorrow?" Blaine asked once they were on the couch, two glasses of wine on the coffee table.

            "Yeah, after breakfast. You're invited to that, too, by the way. Carole insisted."

            Blaine smiled. "She's very sweet." He took a sip of his wine and watched the way it sloshed in his glass.

            "Are you okay?" Kurt asked.

            "Yeah," Blaine replied. "Your dad is amazing. It's hard not to compare."

            Kurt set his glass down on the coffee table. "You've had no contact with them at all since you moved to New York?"

            Blaine shook his head. "They made it very clear they wanted a clean break."

            "But that was years ago. Is it possible they've changed?"

            "I don't think so. It's not like they've made any effort to get in touch with me either."

            Kurt considered. "But do they actually know where you live? Do you have the same phone number you did then?"

            "My lack of relationship with my parents isn't _my_ fault, Kurt," Blaine snapped.

            "That's not what I—"

            "I promise you, there are no contrite, loving parents out there just waiting for their long-lost son to get in touch with them. Just drop it."

            They sat in tense silence for a moment while Blaine took another swig of his wine. Kurt felt like he'd poked a sleeping bear. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pried," he said. "I didn't mean that any of it was your fault, Blaine. It's just really hard for me to imagine your own parents not loving you. You're so easy to love," he said softly.

            Blaine sighed and took Kurt's hand. " _I'm_ sorry. I used to think like that. I used to…have hope," he said sadly. Kurt gave his hand a squeeze as tears pressed hot at the back of his eyes. "Maybe they could change, and someday we'd have some heartfelt reunion. I've worked hard to accept that it's not going to happen."

            "I'm sorry," Kurt whispered.

            Blaine smiled sadly at him. "I haven't seen them for almost ten years and they're still ruining things," he said with a slight hint of humor.

            Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine and hugged him. "Nothing's ruined here." He pulled back and looked into Blaine's eyes. "Right?"

            "Right." Blaine pulled him into a soft kiss. "Did we just have a fight?"

            "I think so," Kurt replied. "Our first one. How'd we do?"

            Blaine gave him a real smile this time, eyes twinkling at him. "We're doing great."

            Kurt kissed him one last time. "I should go. Will I see you in the morning? Only if you want to."

            "Yeah, I'll be there. Text me when you get home."

            Kurt smiled. "I will." He kissed him one last time one more time. "Goodnight."

            "Goodnight," Blaine said with a smile.


	8. Bed

            They were on the couch, kissing as they had done countless times before. Blaine’s lips were warm and soft, and he kept sucking on Kurt's bottom lip. It made Kurt feel like his whole body was either going to melt or explode, and he didn't care which.

            Kurt slid closer, and Blaine's arms around him tightened, and soon Kurt was in Blaine's lap, breathless and lips swollen.

            "Kurt?"

            Blaine's hand that wasn't up the back of Kurt's shirt slid down to his ass, stroking lightly and then gripping, pulling their hips together. The flash of pleasure up his spine was overwhelming. Kurt tipped his head to the side to let Blaine kiss down his neck.

            " _Kurt_ ," Blaine said again, sucking on his Adam's apple.

            Kurt broke away with a gasp, realizing Blaine was actually trying to get his attention. "Sorry—should we cool down?”

            "That's not what I was going to say, but we can if you want." Blaine's hand was still stroking Kurt's back soothingly.

            Kurt licked his tingling lips. "W-what were you going to say?" he asked.

            "I was going to ask if we could take this to the bedroom."

            "Oh."

            Kurt's lack of reaction made Blaine's brow furrow. “Only if you want to. Obviously. I mean, I'm ready, but that doesn't mean you're ready."

            “Blaine,” Kurt interrupted, stroking his hands along Blaine’s thighs. “I'm ready. I want you.”

            Blaine exhaled shakily against Kurt’s lips. “Whatever happens is going to be embarrassingly quick,” he laughed, and kissed Kurt again.

            “Maybe the first round,” Kurt replied challengingly.

            Blaine moaned against his mouth and thrust his hips forward a little, making Kurt gasp.

            When the door intercom buzzed, neither of them even paused to notice. When it buzzed three more times in quick succession, Kurt pulled away to shout, “Go away!" at whoever was downstairs. It was symbolic only, as they couldn't have heard him from three stories down.

            “It could be important,” Blaine said weakly.

            “No it can’t,” Kurt replied.

            The buzzing continued in a few more short bursts, until it suddenly stopped. With a sigh of relief, Kurt started unbuckling Blaine’s belt, chuckling into his mouth when his fingers were too clumsy to get it on the first try.

            The knocking drew both of their attention immediately. “Damn,” Blaine muttered. “Someone let them in.”

            “Someone had better be dead,” Kurt muttered darkly. Kurt climbed up off of Blaine and righted his clothes as he strode over to the door and looked through the peep hole. “Oh for—“ he snapped the deadbolt open and yanked on the doorknob. “Rachel, what the _hell_ —“

“Kurt,” Rachel said, breezing past him into the apartment with a bottle of champagne in each hand. “And Blaine! I have the best news of my life!”

            “Rachel, we're kind of—“

            “I’ve been cast as the lead in a new production of _Funny Girl_! On _Broadway_!” She threw her arms around Kurt and hugged him tightly, only clinking the champagne bottles together slightly. “It’s really _happening_ , Kurt!” She sounded tearful, and if Kurt was honest, a little bit drunk already. “I want to celebrate!”

            “Wouldn’t you like to celebrate with all your friends? We could throw you a party this weekend?” Kurt suggested.

            “We can do that. But tonight, I wanted to celebrate with _you_ ,” she said, looking at Kurt. “We both had this dream, and we pushed each other to be better. I know I wasn’t always the easiest roommate or friend, but if it weren’t for your support, I truly don’t think I would have made it this far.”

            “Oh. _Rachel_ ,” Kurt murmured, softening. “Congratulations. I’m…I’m really proud of you.” He caught Blaine’s eyes over her shoulder, who was watching with a little smile. He gave Kurt a helpless little shrug.

            Rachel finally let him go, and set down the champagne. “And Blaine.” She approached him and pulled him into a deceptively strong hug next. “I know we don’t know each other very well yet, but I knew from the moment I saw you that we had a connection. And that you were the best possible match for my dear friend, Kurt.”

            Blaine looked at her fondly, pushing his frustration down and squeezing her hand. “Thanks, Rachel. I’m really happy for you.”

            They found _West Side Story_  playing on cable and watched it absently while they drank both bottles of champagne. Kurt and Rachel told Blaine about their high school musicals and traded stories of their failed auditions since then. Blaine was content to listen and laugh along with them.

            After a few quiet minutes, Kurt noticed that he was the only one still even pretending to watch TV and sighed. Rachel was asleep, her face pressed up next to Blaine, who was already snoring. Not how he'd expected this night to end a few hours ago. He rolled his eyes and gently shook Blaine’s shoulder to wake him up.

            “Come on, you'll get a crick in your neck. Come to bed."

            Blaine carefully extricated himself from Rachel and looked at her, unsure whether to try to get her to the spare room.

            "Leave her, honey, I'll get her a blanket," Kurt said, pushing Blaine toward his bedroom.

            Kurt was exhausted, and the sight of Blaine snug in his bed was so welcoming that Kurt skipped skincare and just stripped down and crawled in beside him.

            Blaine curled in against him, mumbling "'night" against his shoulder and Kurt pressed a kiss to his hair.

            “Goodnight."

 

************

 

            Kurt woke up to his dark bedroom, Blaine's soft breathing beside him. Peeking at his phone, he learned that it was half past six a.m. and that Rachel had sent him a text about twenty minutes earlier.

**Thanks for celebrating with me. I snuck out for an early meeting. <3 Rachel**

            Drowsy and confused, he got up and went to the bathroom, noticing the empty couch and remembering that he'd left Rachel there just a few short hours ago. No Rachel, though.

            Grateful he didn't have to be awake yet, he crawled back into bed, scooting closer to Blaine and letting his body heat warm him back up.

            Kurt gasped awake some time later, and groaned when he realized why. He was achingly hard, his dick trapped against Blaine's hip.

            Blaine, for his part, was snuffling lightly in his sleep. Kurt shifted, trying to disentangle himself with Blaine and only succeeding in rubbing more firmly against him. Blaine started to move then, rolling slightly and—

            Kurt hissed as Blaine's cock grazed his own. "Oh, god," Kurt whispered. "Blaine?"

            Their first orgasms together were  _not_ going to happen while one of them was asleep.

            Blaine shifted again, this time more purposefully, and Kurt froze.

            "Kurt?" Blaine murmured, waking up and taking in the situation.

            Kurt didn't know what came over him, but he gave a tiny thrust of his hips against Blaine, making them both gasp. " _Blaine_ ," he answered.

            "Oh, fuck. Are you awake?"

            "Yeah," Kurt said, his voice strangled, not least because he'd never heard Blaine say  _fuck_ before.

            Blaine shifted closer to kiss him and ground their hips together. "Is this okay?"

            "Yeah." Kurt kissed him back, soft and slow while they found a sleepy rhythm.

            "Oh, god, Kurt," Blaine said softly into his ear. He was making such sweet little sounds, and Kurt couldn't help but smile.

            It didn't last long—they were both too worked up to start with—but soon Blaine's breath hitched and Kurt gasped and they came, finally stilling when the friction became too much.

            Blaine nuzzled his face into Kurt's neck, still drowsy and relaxing back toward sleep. Kurt started to do the same, until Blaine suddenly tensed. Kurt felt a stab of panic that Blaine was regretting what they'd just done. "Blaine?" he asked.

            "Did we just have sex for the first time with Rachel in the next room?" Blaine asked, his words muffled against Kurt's skin.

            Relief flooded Kurt and he laughed. "No, she's gone, I promise."

            "Thank god." Blaine's groan turned into a laugh and he picked up his head, peering shyly at Kurt.

            "No regrets?" Kurt asked, just checking.

            Blaine's face broke into a grin, and Kurt realized his mistake. "Blaine, I swear, if you evoke Katy Perry right now..."

            "No regrets," Blaine echoed instead. Kurt smiled back and kissed his temple, and they cuddled together awhile longer.

            Blaine was pretty close to dozing off again when he felt Kurt moving around, and not in a good way like earlier. He cracked open an eye to see him getting out of bed. "Kurt," he murmured, reaching blindly for him.

            Kurt leaned over him and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “We need a shower."

            “But it's warm here,” he whined into the pillow.

            “The shower is warm too,” Kurt countered, kissing him again. “And if you get up right now, you can join me.”

            Blaine groaned. He’d thought about Kurt naked in the shower countless times, but this was his chance to really see and touch. He opened his eyes and Kurt was gone. Had he dreamt that?

            Kurt’s head poked back into the room. “Coming?”

            Blaine scrambled off the bed and stumbled after him.

            “Kurt, what’s…is that a tattoo?” Blaine’s fingers ghosted over the spot on his shoulder.

            “Mm? Oh. Yeah. I forget it’s there ‘cause I can’t see it.”

            “I can’t believe it. You really are full of surprises. ’It’s got Bette Midler’?” Blaine read. “What does that mean?”

            “It’s kind of a long story…do you want to hear it right this minute?” he wondered, raising a slender eyebrow at him. Blaine looked around at where they were—nearly naked in the bathroom with steam pouring out around them—and shook his head.

            “Later, though?”

            Kurt nodded and pulled him into the shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cockblock!Rachel just feels right to me.


	9. Glitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter was intended to be smutty, but I felt like it couldn't get there without some more Serious Conversations. So it ended up being a weird mess of rumination on sex and trust with a whole bunch of auxiliary glee characters thrown in. *shrugs*

            When Kurt was younger, he had taken the sex pamphlets his father had given him seriously and done his own research once he was alone and the burning heat of embarrassment had passed. He had carefully and slowly gained experience with sex during college, and he knew that "sex" encompassed a wide variety of activities that felt different at different times and with different partners.

            Everything with Blaine so far had been _more_. Once they'd started touching each other they couldn't seem to stop, and even though they hadn't moved past exploring with their hands and mouths, it was intimate and intense.

            Blaine was different now, too. It was like a switch had flipped and he seemed to just open up. He was less guarded and even more generous with physical affection, little touches that made Kurt feel seen and cared for. It wasn't a natural instinct for Kurt in the same way; growing up as he had made him hypervigilant about the space around his body and touching other people. Blaine seemed to thrive on touch, though, so Kurt tried to reciprocate, adjusting his collar for him and straightening his bow ties and sometimes just brushing his arm as he passed by. Blaine's private smiles just for him and the openly lovestruck look in his eyes were worth the effort.

            Even across this crowded bar where Blaine's friend's band was about to play, when Blaine met his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile, Kurt's body tingled. He was nervous about meeting Blaine's friends. Blaine seemed to know about half of the people in the bar, which made sense because they were here to see the band, too. 

            Blaine had asked-slash-warned him about it last week, and Kurt's stomach had been in a knot ever since.

            _"My friends are kind of clamoring to meet you," Blaine said casually._

_"Oh," Kurt answered. "Of course, I'd love to meet them."_

_Blaine hesitated, and Kurt watched him. "You don't want me to meet them," Kurt guessed._

_"No, that's not it. Not really." He exhaled sharply. "It's just…they're worried about me."_

_Kurt watched his face, trying to figure out what he wasn't saying. "Because of me?" he asked, trying to stay curious rather than defensive. "They want to make sure I'm good enough for you?"_

_"I think after Sebastian, they just don't want me to get hurt," Blaine explained. "I really don't want you to be uncomfortable, but I do want you to meet them."_

_Kurt remembered what Blaine had told him about Sebastian._ "My friends tried to warn me, but I didn't want to see it."

            _"Are you worried they won't approve of me?"_

 _Blaine had pressed a warm kiss to his cheek. "Not at all."_  

            Kurt was jarred out of his thoughts when Blaine sidled up and nudged a cold glass against his hand. Kurt smiled gratefully at him and noticed he was flanked by four other men who were eyeing him curiously. Luckily, one of the faces was familiar.

            "Guys," Blaine shouted over the music, "this is Kurt. Kurt, this is Wes, David, and Trent. And you know Jeff."

            Kurt shook their hands, repeating their names as he did. They were all smiling pleasantly enough at him. He knew that they'd all been Warblers with Blaine and stayed friends through college in New York.

            "Hey, Kurt," Jeff said, smiling and leaning in for a half-hug.

            "Hey! It's good to see you."

            "Blaine said you work at Vogue," Thad said over the music. The band hadn't gone on yet, but the music through the bar's speakers was not exactly conducive to conversation.

            Kurt nodded in confirmation.

            "I'm so jealous!" Thad confided.

            Kurt smiled conspiratorially. "I can hook you up." He vaguely wondered if bribery to get Blaine's friends to like him would have the opposite effect, but Trent's face lit up and Kurt relaxed a little bit.

            "So what kind of music do you like?" David asked him.

            Kurt shrugged a shoulder. "I like almost everything," he said honestly.

            "Almost?"

            "I don't love disco." David laughed.

            "You should hear him sing," Blaine added, quirking a smile at Kurt.

            "I don't know anything about your friend's band," Kurt said, looking at Blaine but speaking to everyone. "How long have they been doing this?"

            "Chase started it up in college," Wes replied. "Some of his stuff was really weird and experimental. More recently he added some more members who reeled him in a little bit."

            "It's still pretty unique," David said. "Very theatrical."

            "You'll like it," Blaine promised.

            He was right. Chase, the lead singer, had a voice that sounded like it could be at home on Broadway, backed up by synth beats and a jaunty piano melody. He was pouring himself into the song in a way that made it hard to look away. Kurt could see and hear what the Warblers had meant. The music had just too much of an avant-garde edge to really be mainstream.

            "They're really interesting!" Kurt leaned closer to Blaine so he didn't have to shout. Blaine looked pleased.

            Kurt relaxed as the night and the music progressed. As he listened, he took in the people in the crowd around him. This seemed to be music that people immersed in music enjoyed. This was Blaine's world, and it was different from his own, but not completely foreign and less uncomfortable than he'd thought. He was glad for that.

            When the band finished their first set, Blaine drained his beer and held it up, silently asking Kurt if he wanted a refill. Kurt nodded. "Thanks."

            As soon as Blaine was gone, Wes, David, and Trent all glanced at each other, some unspoken communication passing between them, and then all their eyes set on Kurt.

            "That was really creepy, guys," Kurt said to them. "Look, let's just get it out there. Say whatever's on your minds."

            "Blaine told you about Sebastian?" Trent asked. Kurt nodded.

            "Blaine has always been good at being what people want him to be. When he was with Sebastian, he lost a lot of himself," David explained.

            "It was hard for him to come back from that," Wes added. "We just don't want him to get hurt."

            Kurt could see that in Blaine's personality. He guessed it made sense that Blaine would want to be liked, especially after losing his parents the way he had. "What about now? Is he the Blaine you know?"

            "Yeah," David said with a gentle smile.

            Kurt wasn't sure what he'd been expecting from them, maybe brotherly protectiveness or even outright hostility, but their sincere fondness for Blaine was disarming. "I love Blaine. I love everything about him," Kurt said simply. "I don't want to see him hurt either."

            "No secrets? Jealous ex? Long-lost evil twin?" Trent half-joked.

            Kurt shrugged. "I only have a big, unsubtle step-brother, and I gave up the dark arts years ago," he deadpanned. The Warblers laughed, and Kurt's eyes found Blaine at the bar, waiting for their drinks.

            Jeff was watching Blaine, too. "He's happy. You're good for him."

            "Thanks," Kurt said. He hoped so. "I'm glad he has you guys looking out for him."

            After that, the tension lifted and Kurt felt the knot in his gut loosen. It felt less like a test and more like some friends hanging out at a bar. Trent got Kurt's number to follow up about Vogue--his interest hadn't been polite or idle--and then went to talk to somebody he recognized across the room, and Wes got a text from his fiancée that had him making excuses to leave. They let him go, but not without some suggestive remarks and catcalling.

            "Kurt?" a voice beside him said. He turned and was shocked to see a familiar set of heavily-lined eyes, perfectly coiffed hair, and— _really?_ —glitter swept across his cheekbones.

            "Oh my god, Starchild?" Kurt replied, pulling him into a hug.

            Elliot laughed. "I haven't heard that name in a while."

            "I thought you were in L.A.!"

            "I was for a bit," he shrugged. "How are you doing? Isn't this band amazing?"

            Kurt saw Blaine approach and set their drinks on the table, his smile a bit frozen as he watched Kurt and Elliot together, as if hesitant to approach. Kurt reached out to him, drawing him over to Elliott. "I'm great. This is my boyfriend, Blaine. Blaine, this is Elliot. We were in a short-lived band together in college."

            "Hey, man," Elliot said, shaking Blaine's hand.

            "Blaine knows the band," Kurt said to Elliot, gesturing at the now-empty stage.

            "No way! Elliot said, focusing entirely on Blaine now. "That's so cool! I love these guys" Kurt slipped his hand into Blaine's, hoping to reassure.

            "We went to college together," Blaine was saying to Elliot. Kurt saw a genuine smile tugging at his lips. Kurt stood and held Blaine's hand while he chatted with Elliot about art rock and David Bowie and something about how Blaine wanted to high-five Bryan Ferry.

            "Do you want to join us?" Blaine surprised Kurt by asking. "I can introduce you to Chase."

            "I don't want to crash your night," Elliot said, glancing between them but looking like he'd just been offered a puppy.

            Kurt rolled his eyes. "You're dying to meet him, don't be an idiot."

            Elliot came over to their table and met the Warblers, and he and Kurt told the story of Pamela Lansbury and One Three Hill and how they'd both fallen apart for various reasons. Elliot, Blaine, and Wes had all gone to NYU, and discovered they had some friends in common.

************

            When the band was done, Blaine took Kurt's hand and waved Elliot along as he led them him over toward the stage. Chase pulled Blaine into a hug and slapped his back like an old friend.

            "Thanks for coming out!" he said.

            "You guys sounded awesome," Blaine replied. He made introductions all around, and Kurt and Blaine both watched as Elliot fanboyed a little bit. To Blaine it looked like Chase might be fanboying right back. It wasn't a surprise, with Elliot's energy and eyes and, well, everything.

            A look at Blaine, eyebrows up at his hairline and barely suppressing a smile, and Kurt laughed. He drew Blaine away, leaving Chase and Elliot to their very intense conversation. "Let's get some air," he suggested.

            They went out the door and down the block a little to avoid the cloud of second-hand smoke hanging in the air.

            "I can't tell if Elliot has a talent-crush or an actual-crush," Kurt said. "I've never seen him giddy like that."

            "It looked like a crush-crush to me," said Blaine. "I also think it might have been mutual. Chase looked thunderstruck."

            "Elliot has that effect on people," Kurt laughed. "When he first auditioned for the band I rejected him. For being too over-the-top."

            Blaine laughed too. "He's definitely noticeable," he said with a hint of _something_ in his voice.

            "We were never anything more than friends," Kurt said.

            Emotions flashed over Blaine's face more quickly than Kurt could hope to decipher them. To Kurt's surprise, he said, "I'm sorry."

            "I know that what happened before with Sebastian still affects you, and that it isn't necessarily a reflection on me. Maybe you could just let me know when it happens, though, so that we can work through it."

            "It isn't that I think you're going to cheat on me," Blaine explained. "But the idea that you might have had something before with someone so…"

            "Theatrical?" Kurt supplied with a cheeky smile, bumping their shoulders together.

            Blaine's breath huffed out in a laugh. "Just made me a little insecure for a second."

            Kurt smiled and kissed his cheek. "I get it."

            Blaine looked at him with those bright honey eyes like he'd hung the moon, and Kurt felt _proud_ , like they were getting things right. "I like him, though. I'm probably going to ask you for his number unless that's weird," Blaine said, backing the conversation away into something a little lighter.

            "I'm sure you two can talk about glitter rock for hours," Kurt replied. "Who am I to stand in the way of that?"

            "Thanks for coming tonight," Blaine said.

            "Your friends really care about you. They're good guys."

            Blaine pressed a kiss to his cheek and squeezed his hand. "I know. I know it was a little awkward at first. I think we put them at ease, though," he said with a little smile.

            "You really weren't worried, were you? About what they thought?" Kurt said, a little awed.

            "No," he replied.

            "Because you knew they'd like me, or because you didn't care if they didn't like me?"

            Blaine was thoughtful, examining his hand where his fingers were interlaced with Kurt's. "They were right to be worried. For a long time I didn't trust myself. How can I expect anyone else to have faith in me that I don't have in myself?" he asked rhetorically. "But I'm getting that back now. And I think I needed them to see that."

            Kurt was looking at him so intently, and Blaine couldn't help the little shiver that went up his spine. "Do you want to get out of here?"

            "Yes," Kurt answered immediately, letting Blaine tug him into motion. "Do we need to say goodbye?"

            Blaine waved his hand. "They're all scattered to the wind by now anyway. "I'll text them tomorrow."

            Kurt's phone buzzed in his pocket with a text message. Kurt laughed as he unlocked his screen and showed it to Blaine.

**From Starchild Gilbert: OMGKURT THANNNK YOUUUUUUUU!!!!!!**

"Definitely a crush-crush," Kurt concluded.


	10. Ohio, Part I

            "I want to ask you something," Kurt said over breakfast.

            Blaine set down his coffee and gave Kurt his attention, noticing that he looked nervous and trying not to let that make him nervous, too.

            "You don't have to answer me now."

            “Okay.”

            “Emily’s turning five soon. I've never missed her birthday, and I'm going to Lima for a week. And I would love it if you would come with me and meet the rest of my family, if you want to. But I know visiting Ohio might be hard for you," Kurt's face was full of sincerity. "So I promise I'll understand if the answer is no."

            Blaine smiled in gratitude for his consideration. "Your parents are okay with having me there?"

            "Of course. They specifically invited you. I usually stay with them in my old room, and you would be welcome to share it with me—my dad even said so," Kurt said with an amused smile, "or there's a guest room if you're not comfortable with that."

            "What about Emily? It won't be weird to explain our relationship to her? Or the rest of your family? I don't want to make her birthday into something uncomfortable."

            "My family knows I'm gay, and everyone is very accepting. If any of them weren't, they wouldn't be invited." The Hudson-Hummels had a zero tolerance policy for bigotry. "And Emily knows that her Uncle Kurt likes boys. She has no problem with her Ken doll marrying Steven. Those dolls are all in a very complicated polyamorous relationship of some kind."

            Blaine laughed brightly at that. "I'm touched by the invitation. I'd love to come. I want to get to know your family."

            Kurt beamed at him. "Great."

 

********** 

 

            A week later, after work, Kurt knocked on Blaine's door. They had a movie date, and Kurt was really looking forward to not watching any of the movie with Blaine.

            Blaine opened the door. His face was stony, and he let Kurt in without saying a word.

            "Blaine, what's wrong?" Kurt asked, alarmed. He pulled Blaine into a hug. Blaine slid easily into his arms and squeezed Kurt back. When Blaine was upset, he almost always craved physical contact. Kurt had picked up on that rather quickly. Blaine didn't answer, and Kurt pulled back to look at him. "What happened? Come here, sit down."

            Kurt led him to the couch, and Blaine picked up an envelope from the side table as they passed it. He handed it to Kurt, who looked down at it in confusion. "What is this?"

            Blaine's return address was in the top left corner. It was addressed in Blaine's neat, slanted handwriting to Robert and Pamela Anderson at a Westerville, Ohio, address. The address was crossed out with "Return to Sender" scrawled across the envelope.

            "They didn't even open it," Blaine said flatly.

            "You wrote a letter to your parents?" Kurt guessed. He hesitated. "What did it say?"

            "I told them it's their last chance. That I'm happy, and I wish they could be happy for me, and that I'm going to be in Ohio. That it's their last chance to see me, and their only chance to meet you. That if I didn't hear from them, I'd never contact them again."

            Blaine nodded at the letter. "That's my mother's handwriting."

            Kurt was gripping Blaine's hand tightly. "Did you write this because of what I said?"

            Blaine finally looked at Kurt. "No. Well, sort of. I mean, I wrote it because you were right. I didn't want to spend the whole time we're in Ohio thinking, 'My parents are two hours away' and wondering whether I was missing some sort of chance or whether they were waiting for me to reach out to them. My therapist and I came up with the idea of writing a letter."

            "They don't deserve you." He was _furious._

            He shook his head. "I don't want you to be upset about it." He shrugged. "This just confirms what I already knew: they're not my family."

            "It was so brave of you to write that letter." Kurt hugged him fiercely. He didn't understand how he'd gotten through life without Blaine, and now that he'd met him, he never wanted to be without him again. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

            Blaine smiled for the first time since Kurt had arrived. "I'm pretty lucky myself."

            Kurt kissed him softly and smiled back. "Do you still want go make out like teenagers in the back of a movie theater?"

            Blaine laughed, genuine and happy and grateful. "I want nothing more."

 

************

 

            "Hey, Dad, Hey, Carole," Kurt said, hugging each of them tightly in the airport corridor.

            "Blaine, how've you been?" Burt asked, shaking his hand.

            "Fine, thanks," Blaine replied. "And yourself?"

            "Can't complain."

            "Blaine, it's good to see you again," Carole said, grasping Blaine's face and kissing him on the cheek. Kurt gave him an apologetic look, but Blaine just smiled at Carole.

            "It's great to see you, too, Carole."

            "You look tired," she said with a frown.

            "I don't fly so well," Blaine said apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck.

            "Well, you can take a nap when we get to the house. We're not meeting Finn and Sarah until seven."

            "Thank you, that might help."

            "Just how long are you planning on staying, Kurt?" Burt wondered, eyeing their luggage. He could pick Blaine's single black suitcase out of the matching red lineup of Kurt's several.

            " _Fashion_ , Dad."

            "And Blaine gets to be your pack mule?"

            "They roll," Kurt protested weakly.

            "I don't mind." Blaine assured him as they headed toward the car.

            Kurt and Blaine were staying in the Hummel-Hudson family home for the duration of their trip. Burt had offered it to them, of course, but Kurt was a little worried about the ample opportunity for awkwardness this would provide. The conversation with his dad alone had made him cringe. ("You're both adults, Kurt. Do you expect me to believe you don't share a bed in New York?")

            "Honey are you feeling okay?" Kurt murmured to Blaine once they reached the house.

            "It's just a headache."

            "Come on. Worry about the luggage later." He took Blaine's hand and led him up the stairs. "This is my bedroom," he said softly. "Get comfortable, I'll be right back."

            Kurt came back with a glass of water and a painkiller for Blaine. Blaine had taken off his shoes and was lounging on the bed. Kurt sat beside him and gave him the pills, then the water.

            "Thanks," Blaine said, swallowing them down. "You don't mind if I take a nap?"

            Kurt kissed him softly. "Of course not. It'll give me a chance to catch up with my parents. I'll be downstairs. Relax and make yourself at home."

            Blaine nodded and curled up, hugging the extra pillow to his chest. “’m sorry,” he murmured.

            “You have nothing to be sorry for,” Kurt said, and leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Want me to stay with you?”

           “Don’ have to,” Blaine replied. The room was warm and smelled like Kurt, and it made Blaine's eyelids feel heavy. Kurt tugged the blanket up over Blaine's shoulder and crept quietly out of the room.

            "Is he all right?" Carole asked Kurt when he came back downstairs.

            "I don’t think he slept very much last night.”

            "He can stay here and rest if he's not feeling well," Carole said. "Finn and Sarah can wait."

            “Thanks. He's been anxious about being back in Ohio."

            "How long’s it been?" Burt asked.

            Kurt shook his head. "As far as I know, his parents said goodbye to him when he graduated high school and haven't contacted him since. There wasn't any reason for him to come back."

            Burt's face showed his disgust. "I can't believe parents could do that to their kid."

            “But,” Carole said, tipping her head toward the upstairs. “Things seem good between you two.”

            Kurt smiled a little bit bashfully. “Yeah. Really, really good.”

            “That’s great, sweetie. I’m glad we can spend some time with him.”

            Kurt nodded. “So how’s D.C.?”

            Burt updated him about work and Carole told him about the salsa lessons she’d managed to drag Burt to, and Kurt thought his dad was blushing a little bit.

            He lost track of time talking to his parents, enjoying being back home after a long absence. Burt glanced at the clock and reminded them that dinner was in an hour. "I'll go wake Blaine up so we can shower and change," he said and headed up the stairs.

            Burt watched him go and looked Carole. "Did he say, 'So _he_ can shower' or 'So _we_ can shower'?" he wondered.

            "Leave it, Burt."

            "Blaine," Kurt said softly into his ear. He kissed his forehead and his eyelids and slid a hand over his shoulder. "Wake up."

            "Mmm," Blaine replied. He wrapped an arm around Kurt and settled in against him.

            Kurt chuckled. "I love it when you're cuddly, but we have to be at dinner in an hour and we could both use a shower." Kurt kissed his face a few more times until Blaine opened his eyes and peered at him.

            "Hi," he said, voice thick with sleep.

            "Hi there," Kurt answered. "I'm sorry to wake you up. Are you feeling any better?"

            "Yeah. Thanks."

            “Feel up to going to dinner?”

            “Mm, yeah,” Blaine murmured, quickly fading back toward sleep.

            Kurt shook his shoulder gently. "Come on, go take a shower. Prove to me that you're awake."

            "Or you could come with me and finish waking me up," Blaine said with a sleepy smile.

            Kurt gave a scandalized gasp. "Blaine Anderson, you've been under my father's roof less than two hours and you're trying to seduce me while he's downstairs.”

            Blaine chuckled. "Forgot where we were. 'M sleepin',”

            “Come on. I’ll tickle you if I have to,” Kurt threatened, poking him in the side.

            Blaine jumped. “Hey! All right, all right. Here I go."

            Kurt showed him the linen closet with the towels, and pointed him toward the bathroom, toiletries in hand. "Be quick, I'm next."

            Kurt took the time to get their suitcases in order and hang up their clothes so they didn't wrinkle more than they already had. He picked out an outfit for Blaine just in time for him to come back into the room, towel slung low on his hips.

            Kurt swallowed hard and looked away, gesturing to the clothes on the bed. "I chose something for you. Is that okay?"

            "I love when you dress me. Almost as much as when you undress me," Blaine answered.

            Kurt fanned himself. "Oh, my. What's gotten into you?"

            "I could ask you the same question. You've been blushing at me since the plane touched down."

            "It's just...we're going to be basically living together while we're here, but with my family around all the time. It's a little weird sleeping with you in my childhood bed, where I spent my shy baby penguin years, with my dad two doors down.”

            "Hmm." Blaine looked the bed over. They would be the first to christen it if he had his way.

            "Stop it," Kurt gave him a push. "Get dressed. I'm going to take a shower."

            Blaine was dressed and poking through his belongings when Kurt returned, wearing boxers and toweling his hair dry.

            "You can't watch me get dressed, Blaine. Go away."

            Blaine pouted at him, but did as he asked. He finished dressing and went downstairs to find Burt and Carole in the living room.

            "How are you feeling?" Carole asked him.

            "Much better, thanks. I get a little airsick sometimes."

            “I just made some tea, would you like a cup?”

            “Oh, that sounds great. Thanks.” She disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and Blaine gave Burt an awkward smile.

            "Has Kurt at least _started_ getting ready?" Burt asked, glancing at his watch.

            "Yeah, he just got out of the shower," Blaine answered. He shifted a little under Burt's scrutiny, until Carole handed him his cup of tea, which he sipped gratefully.

            “Thanks, Carole.”

            "You look nice," she complimented.

            "Thank you. Kurt dressed me." He paused and glanced at Burt. "I mean, he chose my outfit."

            The tea was soothing, and it was only a few more minutes before Kurt came downstairs. He must have decided on an outfit on the plane. "All set. Have you ever been to Breadstix?" he asked Blaine.

            Blaine thought about it. "I think so. Maybe once."

            "We're meeting Finn, Carole's son, and his family for dinner there. Friday night dinners are a family tradition," Burt explained.

            "Sounds great," Blaine said. "Thank you for inviting me into your home like this."

            "Don't be silly, you're welcome any time," Carole replied.

            "Just keep in mind that the walls here really aren't very thick," Burt said, eyeing Kurt and Blaine.

            "It was your idea for us to share a bedroom," Kurt reminded his dad.

            "I know. I'm just saying."

            "Burt, stop it," Carole said.

            "This is a first for me, and I’m trying here," Burt said. It was such a genuine thing to say. He knew Burt loved Kurt and didn't have any problem with him being gay, but this was a bit of an adjustment all around and it was bound to be awkward at first.

            "This is a first for me too," Blaine said to Burt.

            Burt looked at Blaine and nodded. "I'm glad you're here, son," he replied.

            Kurt cleared his throat. "So are we ready to leave?"

 

************

 

            "Kurt, you never said he was _gorgeous_!"

            Sarah said this enthusiastically by way of greeting when she, Finn, and Emily found them in the lobby of the restaurant.

            Finn's head whipped toward his wife, who was blatantly checking out Blaine. "Hey!" he said indignantly.

            "I'm sure that I did," Kurt replied dryly. "Blaine, this is Finn and Sarah. And you remember Emily."

            Blaine just smiled at Sarah, accepting the compliment, and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

            "Nice to meet you, too, man," Finn said, shaking Blaine's hand next. Blaine waved at Emily, who waved back.

            "Blaine's beauty aside," Burt said gruffly, though amusement danced in his eyes. "I think our table's ready."

            They took their seats and chatted. Blaine confirmed what Kurt had mostly already told his family about him. Finn spoke just as fondly about their old glee club as Kurt did, and reminisced about some of the people Blaine had met at New Year. Sarah informed him that she was a second grade teacher, and she had met Finn in college at Ohio State.

            "Emily, do you remember Blaine?" Kurt asked. "From New York, when we went to the park at Thanksgiving?"

            Emily nodded. "You and Uncle Kurt are boyfriends."

            "Yep," Blaine confirmed with a smile. He took Kurt's hand under the table.

            She nodded in approval, and that was it. Blaine was in awe. "Tomorrow's my birthday," she informed him.

            "No way! Really?" Blaine asked enthusiastically. "How old are you going to be—fifteen? No, wait...twenty?"

            She laughed and held up her hand. "Five!"

            Blaine tapped his palm to hers, giving her "five." "That's awesome."

            "Are you coming to my birthday party? We're going bowling!" she asked.

            Blaine pretended to consider. "That depends. Will there be cake?"

            She grinned. "Yep! Chocolate cake with sprinkles!"

            Blaine beamed at her. "My favorite! I'll definitely be there." He grinned at Sarah, who smiled back at him and stroked her daughter's hair lovingly. Blaine turned to Kurt to find him staring with an amusedly fond look on his face. "What?"

            "This is why you get along with kids so well. You're five years old."

            Blaine stuck out his tongue.

            Kurt lifted Blaine’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles with a smile. They were both oblivious to the looks the rest of the family were giving them and each other.

            “So cute I could _die_ ,” Sarah stage-whispered toward Finn.


	11. Ohio Part II

             The bowling alley brought back memories for Kurt. He'd been here for his own birthday once when he was seven or so. The over-air-conditioned building was a perfect respite from the sticky, humid Ohio summer.

            Emily and her friends had a blast bowling and eating pizza. Kurt and Blaine had fun trying to out-dance and out-bowl each other, too (though Blaine's 126 was no match for Kurt's 143). Blaine had been introduced to Sarah's parents, who were lovely people who didn't bat an eye when he was introduced as their son-in-law's step-brother's boyfriend. 

            By the time they all sat down for cake and presents, Blaine's nervousness was gone. These people all knew and supported Kurt, and they were all happy for him. He was grateful to them all for making him feel so welcome. It sort of felt like he was home, which was a concept that had eluded him for so long.

            Sarah was visibly exhausted, and grateful for Blaine when he shot her a smile and took the children off her hands for a while. The kids all adored Blaine, which came as no surprise to Kurt, who watched with a fond smile as Blaine joined their impromptu dance party around the bowling lane.

            "Kurt, he's definitely a keeper," Sarah declared, dropping into the chair between Kurt and Finn.

            "He seems like a good guy," Finn agreed. "I'm happy for you, little bro."

            "Thanks, guys."

            When the eighth song ended, Blaine came over to the table and gulped down his soda. "They've had so much sugar," he intimated to Kurt and Finn and Sarah. "I can't keep up anymore."

            "You made a good effort," Finn said. "Seriously, dude, I think Kurt was right. I think you're a five-year-old deep down. You're not much taller than them, which helps."

            "Hey!" Blaine cried.

            Kurt couldn't help laughing. Emily came over and climbed up into her dad's lap.

            "Are you having a good birthday, princess?" Finn asked.

            "The best!" she answered.

            "Good." Finn kissed her hair.

            Soon, it was time for Emily's friends to say goodbye. The adults helped clean up and gather up the presents to take to the car and divide up the leftover cake.

            "Are you going back to New York now, Uncle Kurt?" Emily asked.

            "We're staying the whole week, Em. I'll be able to see you lots."

            "Blaine too?" she asked.

            "Me too," he confirmed.

            She stared at Blaine for a minute, clearly formulating something. Blaine found it sort of unnerving. "Are you and Uncle Kurt going to get married?" she asked.

            Kurt laughed nervously, with just a hint of hysteria.

            Luckily, Burt and Carole and Sarah and Finn and Sarah's parents were all within earshot, too. And they were all trying to pretend they hadn't fallen silent in anticipation of the answer.

            No pressure.

            "I don't know, Em," Blaine answered slowly. "We'll have to think about it a lot first."

            Apparently, that was a satisfactory answer. She skipped away and went back to her task of putting her presents into a large gift bag, completely unaware of the awkward tension hanging in the room. He glanced around at the other adults, who were also slowly returning to their tasks.

            "Zero to painfully awkward in half a second," Finn murmured under his breath to his wife.

            "She's five," Sarah shrugged. "She has the luxury of saying out loud what everyone else is thinking."

            The color was returning to Kurt's cheeks with a vengeance, and he stepped up next to Blaine. "Nice save," he murmured. "The language center of my brain shut down."

            Blaine chuckled. "I noticed."

            "I'm sorry..." Kurt wasn't sure what he was apologizing for.

            Blaine smiled. "It’s fine. Kids say whatever pops into their heads.”

************

            Once they boxed up the leftover cake and loaded everything into the cars and said goodbye to family, they climbed back into the car with Burt and Carole. Things were quiet between them on the ride home. Blaine didn’t seem uncomfortable to Kurt, just tired, maybe. Pensive.

            “What are you in the mood for tonight?” Kurt asked him. “We could go out? Or we could just watch a movie in our pajamas.”

            Blaine smiled at him. “I feel like I got run over by a bus,” he groaned with a laugh. “Raincheck on going out, though?”

            “Sure. Pajamas it is.”

            Blaine followed Kurt inside the house and up to his room. They changed and went back downstairs to raid the Hummel DVD collection. Agreeing on Grease, they sat side-by-side on the couch and settled in, watching quietly, neither of them making an effort to sing along.

            Burt and Carole were still upstairs, and Blaine figured it was now or never. He looked over at Kurt and gave a weary sigh. “Are things gonna be awkward until we talk about this?” he wondered.

            Kurt shrugged. "Talk about what?"

            "Kurt."

            "What?"

            "You’ve been quiet."

            "So have you."

            "I'm tired," Blaine said lightly.

            "So am I."

            Blaine turned his head back toward the tv and Kurt watched his profile for a minute.

            "I think about it."

            "Oh, no, you didn't want to talk about it," Blaine said sarcastically.

            "You said you wanted to take things slowly, Blaine," Kurt snapped. "Am I supposed to think that means you want to talk about _marriage_ while we sit in my parents' house?"

            Blaine stared at him and then dissolved into laughter. After a moment, Kurt joined him.

            "Kurt, I wanted to take the physical stuff slow, but that ship has sailed. I love you. Of course I think about our future together."

            "Me too," Kurt confessed.

            "Okay. Maybe that's all we need for now."

            Kurt was quiet again for a minute.

            "Do you want to get married?" he asked. Blaine's head whipped toward him and Kurt held his hands up. "I'm not proposing!" he added quickly. "I mean _ever_. In the abstract, is it something you want for yourself?"

            Blaine hummed. “Well, I always sort of hoped I would someday. In high school when marriage equality was really gaining momentum state-by-state, I was excited about it. I knew it would be a reality in all fifty states in my lifetime." He shrugged. “But I guess when it comes down to it, I’m pretty traditional. I mean, I don’t _need_ to get married, but I want a partner to commit myself to, with the knowledge that it’s forever. Does that answer your question?”

            “Yeah,” Kurt said, relieved.

            “What about you?” Blaine asked.

            “I love weddings,” rushed out of Kurt’s mouth. “I get that you don’t need a marriage to have commitment, but I think no matter what, I’d want a wedding. There’s something about them that’s just beautiful to me.”

            Blaine squeezed his hand. “Kurt Hummel’s wedding will be a sight to behold, huh?”

            “Blaine. You don’t even _know_.”

            With a chuckle, Blaine dipped his head shyly. “I guess we’re on the same page, then.”

            Burt came into the room then, mumbled a hello and sat down in his favorite chair. "Everything all right here?" he asked.

            They nodded.

            "Good."


	12. Ohio Part III

            Whenever Kurt visited Ohio, he felt like things finally slowed down a little bit. He was a generally busy person, and the combination of not working and being in the calming presence of his family always relaxed him.

            This time, he didn’t know whether it was just being in Ohio, or if it was because his family was always around and he hadn’t been able to touch Blaine in days, but today in particular, when he looked at Blaine, he kept slowing down and _noticing_ things. He carefully watched the muscles in Blaine’s forearms move as he rolled up his sleeves. When Kurt looked up at his face, Blaine was looking back at him, his green-gold eyes soft and curious. Kurt walked over and leaned in for a kiss, loving the way Blaine tipped his chin up toward him without hesitation. When they parted, Blaine had a secret smile on his lips, and Kurt was the curious one.

            “What’s gotten into you today?” Blaine wondered later, when they were momentarily alone in the kitchen after lunch. He still had that little smile on his face.

            “What do you mean?” Kurt wondered.

            “You’ve been giving me this look all day.”

            “What look?” Kurt wondered. He watched Blaine’s smile twist into surprise.

            “ _That_ look.”

            “Am I making you uncomfortable?” Kurt asked.

            Blaine barked out a laugh. “No, not at all. You’re making me wonder what’s running through your head, though.”

            Kurt shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know, it’s like I’m seeing you for the first time.”

            Blaine laughed again. “Did you hit your head? Do you have amnesia?”

            Kurt smiled and rolled his eyes, putting his hands on Blaine’s hips and pulling him closer. “I like what I see. You’re wonderful, and I love you.”

            Blaine’s bright smile and slight blush were heady rewards for Kurt, who pressed a loving kiss to Blaine’s lips. Blaine liked feeling seen, and Kurt reminded himself that he needed to remember that. “I love you, too,” Blaine said. “I wish I knew what brought this on.”

            “Maybe you’re just especially gorgeous today,” Kurt suggested.

            “I like Ohio-Kurt,” Blaine said, picking up the cookies they'd just made and following Kurt into the living room

 

 ************

 

            Carole's voice carried faintly up the stairs. "Boys, it's time for dinner!"

            Blaine snorted a laugh, and Kurt threw an arm over his face. "Do you think it's funny that I have to go face my parents now?"

            "Well, I have to face your parents—your dad!—moments after debauching his son. Debauchery that was _your_ idea."      

            Kurt kissed him. "I didn't hear any complaints. I gave you what you asked for."

            Blaine kissed him back. "You can give it to me again after dinner."

            Kurt's eyes went wide, and Blaine smirked as he got up and put his clothes back on.

            Dinner would be rough for both of them.

            "We're going to meet some friends for drinks," Carole told them as they cleaned up the kitchen. "We'll be back around midnight."

            Kurt raised an eyebrow at Carole, Burt standing just behind her. "Okay."

            Burt shifted and cleared his throat. "Be safe."

            "We are, Dad."

            Burt glanced wordlessly from Blaine to Kurt, locking eyes with him as something seemed to pass between them. Blaine tried to pretend he hadn't noticed and that Burt wasn't referring to the sex that they would be having with the parents out of the house.

            "See you later," Burt grunted as he and Carole got ready to leave.

            Blaine sort of waved awkwardly, and Kurt plastered on a smile. "Have fun!" He closed the door behind them and rested his back against it, closing his eyes in embarrassment. "They're not exactly subtle, are they?"

            "Maybe they noticed the looks you keep giving me," Blaine said, just a little smugly.

            " _You_ kept sucking on your fingers!" he accused, pointing at him.

            "I think it's sweet that they would leave to give us privacy."

            Kurt rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess it's the only chance we'll get."

            Blaine scoffed. "Try not to sound so enthusiastic."

            “I'm just trying really hard not to imagine what my dad is imagining right now,” Kurt said.

            Blaine made a face. "You can't say things like that to me."

            "I promise I'll be very enthusiastic if you give me about ten minutes to finish the dishes. Maybe go take a hot shower?"

            Blaine went upstairs, and Kurt mechanically finished hand-washing the pans from dinner, taking some time to process the fact that his Dad and Carole had left the house apparently to give him space to have sex with his boyfriend.

            Yeah, thinking about it didn't make it any better, so he tried to focus on what they could do with the house to themselves. 

            When he made his way to his bedroom, he paused in the doorway and took in the tableau: Blaine, damp hair drying from his shower, reclining on the bed wearing Kurt's bathrobe, his reading glasses on and his laptop open in his lap.

            It was so domestic it made Kurt ache.

            Blaine noticed him after a minute and smiled at him. "Hey." He closed the laptop and reached out for Kurt, who crawled up and sat on the bed beside him.

            "You're wearing your glasses," Kurt said.

            "I know you can't resist them," Blaine teased. "And after all, your dad practically told us to have sex, so—"

            Kurt groaned and shoved a pillow into Blaine's face. "Turnabout is fair play!" Blaine shouted, muffled, into the pillow.

            "Never say the 'D' word to me in bed. Ever. Again," Kurt demanded.

            Blaine finally wrested the pillow from his grasp. "Which D word? Oh—" Blaine lowered his voice to a scandalized whisper— " _dick_ "?

            "What put you in this goofy mood? Please be specific, so I can make sure it never happens again."

            Blaine pulled him into a kiss. "You know I'm really happy to be here, right? Awkwardness and all."

            "I'm really happy, too," Kurt said.

            Blaine kissed Kurt's bottom lip, which always drove him crazy, and then across his jawline. "Tell me what you want."

            Kurt pressed his mouth right up next to Blaine's ear and whispered. "I want to fuck you in my baby penguin bed."

            "Take your clothes off," Blaine replied.

            Kurt got up from the bed and started to shimmy out of his pants, but Blaine touched the back of his hand to stop him. "Slowly?" he requested, looking unsure if this was something he should ask for. Usually they undressed themselves or each other, so they were both occupied during the process. But Blaine was already naked under the robe, which made Kurt's mouth go dry.

            "Okay," he agreed.

            Blaine grinned at him. "Want some music?"

            "Don't push it," Kurt replied. "But yes," he added, rolling his eyes.

            Blaine grabbed his phone and chose a song as Kurt started—slowly—unbuttoning his vest. The opening notes of the song sent Kurt's eyes rolling. "You and your Roxy Music."

            Blaine just looked delighted. "You're making dreams come true right now, Kurt."

            Kurt smiled indulgently and kept undressing, dancing to the music a little bit. Even Blaine's sex playlists were musically complex. Once his shirt was off, he tossed it at Blaine, who blocked it from hitting him in the face.

            "Are you wearing anything under that?" Kurt asked, eyeing the robe that was still covering Blaine from sternum to thigh.

            "You'll find out," Blaine replied. He just kept savoring Kurt's every move.

            Kurt turned his back to Blaine to get out of his pants, making sure to bend over and push them all the way down. He knew the effect the back of him had on Blaine. He kicked off his pants and turned back around to find Blaine rubbing himself through the black fabric of the robe, and the show was over.

            Kurt crawled up the bed and straddled Blaine's hips. Once he slid Blaine's glasses off his face it became a hazy mess of Blaine shucking the robe the rest of the way off (definitely naked under there) and finding the lube and condoms they'd stashed in the night stand earlier ( _"Just in case,"_ Blaine had said with a shrug) and Kurt pressing Blaine face down in his bed. They hadn't had any real privacy in days, and they were so worked up neither of them could hold back.

            After, Kurt lay draped over Blaine, breathing into his neck. Blaine shifted far enough to his side so he could grab his face and kiss him.

            Kurt pushed a sweaty curl out of Blaine's face and smoothed his thumb across his cheek. "I want to clean up, but I don't think I can move yet."

            Blaine pulled him closer. "We have time."

            "Mm," Kurt assented.

            "No more baby penguin bed. Sexy adult penguins only."

            Kurt rolled his eyes but couldn't help his smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't actually bring myself to post explicit smut so here's some vague nonsense instead.


	13. Ohio Part IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burt and Blaine come to an understanding.

             Blaine woke up to gentle morning light peeking through the curtains, Kurt's body warm beside him. He didn't remember falling asleep. They'd showered together, changed the sheets on Kurt's bed, and settled in to watch a movie, wanting to be entirely decent by the time Burt and Carole came back and, honestly, avoid seeing them until morning.

            Blaine slid carefully over to the edge of the bed, trying to not disturb Kurt. He was thirsty and he had to pee, a confusing combination. He slipped on a shirt he found lying nearby, not bothering to button it, and went to the bathroom first to take care of his bladder. Then he headed downstairs and turned the corner into the kitchen and nearly collided with Burt.

            "Whoa, kid," he said. "Didn't see you there."

            "Oh, sorry," Blaine said. "Um, I was just thirsty."

            Burt went back to pouring hot water into his mug of instant decaf coffee and Blaine got a glass down from the cupboard and pressed it against the lever in the water dispenser on the fridge. Waiting for his glass to fill up, he looked over at Burt, who was eyeing him inscrutably.

            _Oh, god, Kurt gets that from his dad_ , Blaine thought.

            Blaine set the glass down and self-consciously buttoned a few buttons on the shirt he was wearing, which he now realized was lavender and what Kurt had been wearing last night at dinner. Blaine took a sip of the water, since his mouth had suddenly become even drier than before. His face burning, he glanced somewhere over Burt's shoulder. "Well, I'll just—" and pointed at the stairs.

            "Hang on, Blaine," Burt said. "I want you to be comfortable here, okay? I don't want you to think I have a problem with you and Kurt and…what you do together."

            "I get it. Even if you're fine with Kurt being gay, it's another thing to see his sex life walk through your kitchen. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

            "That's why I wanted to talk to you. You don't have to worry about making me comfortable, okay? Yeah, it's an adjustment, but it's an adjustment I have to make, not you."

            Blaine's eyebrows furrowed as he thought about what Burt was saying. "I just want to be respectful," he said finally.

            "I see that," Burt said. "And I appreciate it." He sighed. "You gotta understand, Kurt didn't date in high school. I've never even really seen him kiss anybody besides you. He's still my little boy, you know? It's hard to accept just how grown up he is."

            "Do you know what Kurt told me once at the beginning of our relationship?" Blaine said, unsure why these words were coming out. "He told me that I matter." He saw the recognition in Burt's eyes. "And that you had told him that. He's who he is because of you."

            Burt put a hand on Blaine's shoulder, his eyes soft.

            "Oh, here, you are," Kurt said lightly from the doorway, his eyes flitting between Burt and Blaine and skating over his own shirt haphazardly buttoned around Blaine's torso. "Hi, Dad." Burt stepped back and leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee.

            "Hey, Kurt."

            Blaine reached out for Kurt, who took his hand and let Blaine kiss his cheek. "What are we doing today?" he asked.

            "I promised Emily I'd hang out with her, just the two of us. Do you mind?" Kurt replied.

            "Of course not. I'm sure I can entertain myself for a while," he said with a smile.

            "I thought I'd go to the shop, take a look around. I haven't been there in a while," Burt said. "Why don’t you come with me, son?" he said to Blaine.

            "Sure," Blaine answered.

            Kurt was still looking between the two of them like he was trying to solve a puzzle. "Okay then," he said slowly.

            Several hours later, Burt was leading Blaine out to his car. "I do want to swing by the shop, but we don't have to hang out there long."

            "I don't mind," Blaine answered.

            "I told you Kurt and Carole are good at hovering. Won't leave us alone together."

            "All due respect, you do seem like a man who knows a few places where a body wouldn't be discovered right away," Blaine replied.

            Burt laughed and Blaine took it as a win.     

            "I'm real glad you decided to come with Kurt for this visit."

            "Me too.”

            “You sound surprised by that.”

            “Well, I wanted to come, for a lot of reasons, but I’m trying to think of this as ‘my boyfriend’s hometown’ rather than ‘two hours away from my parents' house.’”

            Burt nodded. “You haven't been back in a long while, huh?”

            "It feels like a lifetime." Blaine watched the scenery go by until they pulled up to the front of Hummel Tire and Lube and they both got out.

            "Kurt said you ran this place before you got elected," Blaine commented. "I didn't realize you still did."

            "I still own it, but I put Marco in charge," Burt said, gesturing to a man at the back of the shop. "Finn ran it for a little while until he decided what he wanted to do after high school. I miss it sometimes. Lot of good memories here. Kurt used to help me out in the afternoons and weekends, even when he was a little kid in his tiny bedazzled coveralls." Burt smiled fondly at the memory. "When he got older, it helped pay for his wardrobe. He always helped me out even though there were plenty of things he'd rather be doing."

            "I think hanging out with his dad was probably a thing he wanted to do," Blaine responded quietly, looking into the open hood of a nearby car. "My dad and I rebuilt a '57 Chevy in our driveway the summer before my freshman year of high school," Blaine said without looking at Burt.

            "Oh?" Burt said, surprised.

            "He was always trying to get me to do stuff like that, get my hands dirty, to balance out all my...other hobbies. Singing and dancing."

            Blaine finally looked up to find Burt watching him.

            A voice from the office called, "Hey, Burt!"

            "Hang on a minute, I'll be right back."

           Blaine wandered around taking in the motor oil and gasoline smell while Burt talked to a couple of the guys in back. He couldn't really picture Kurt in dirty coveralls underneath a car, but trying put a smile on his face.

            "Sorry about that."

            "No problem," Blaine said. "So. Are there photos of Kurt in these bedazzled coveralls you mentioned earlier?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

            Burt smirked. “I’ll see what I can do. I’ve got his ballet photos, too.”

            "Perfect."

            "All right, I'm done here," Burt said. "Let's go."

            "Go where?" Blaine wondered.

            "Anywhere. You hungry?"

            Blaine considered. "I could eat."

            Burt grinned. "All right!"

            They drove a few blocks away to a diner that Burt seemed excited about. "I used to love this place. It's not exactly healthy, though, so I don't come very often anymore."

            Blaine laughed. "Your secret's safe with me."

            "I've been taking care of myself. I owe it to Kurt and Carole and Finn and everyone. But sometimes a guy just needs some french fries."

            "I hear that. I've definitely been eating better since I met Kurt."

            "You too, huh? Well, he does it 'cause he cares."

            Blaine smiled. He ordered a cheeseburger, Burt got a veggie burger and a salad, and they ordered fries to share.

            "You play any sports?" Burt asked.

            "Yeah. Dalton didn't have football, but I was on the fencing and polo teams. And after getting bullied so much, I took up boxing."

            Burt was surprised. "You box?"

            "Yeah. It's a good workout, and it gave me more confidence."

            Burt looked at him for a long moment. "You ever use it?"

            "No, luckily."

            "I hate what you kids had to go through."

            Blaine nodded. "I know."

            Burt chuckled to himself, and Blaine gave him a curious look. "I'm just imagining what Kurt would think about boxing,” he explained.

            Blaine smiled and quoted, in his best Kurt impression, "'You mean the game where people brutalize each other until one of them gets knocked unconscious?'" Burt laughed at that. "He doesn't exactly approve, but he's supportive anyway."

            "So what made you choose to study music?” Burt asked.

            "I learned the piano and violin as a kid, and I've been writing songs pretty much since I could write. And I sang in my high school a Capella group. Music was always my outlet. It makes the world sort of drop away."

            "That's great. I'm glad you had that. That's why I ran for office in the first place. My opponent was trying to cut funding for arts programs in public schools. Glee club was about the only place Kurt could express himself without fear of getting harassed or beat up. I couldn't let that happen."

            "That's amazing to me."

            Burt shook his head. "Kurt and I figured things out together. All I did was love my son and try to make things better for him. Any decent parent would do the same.” Burt looked at Blaine for a moment, unsure whether to continue down this path. “Kurt hasn't said a whole lot about it, but I get the impression that your parents failed you pretty bad, and I wish things had been different for you. But I gotta tell you, I'm impressed with what you've accomplished without that support. You should be proud of yourself for that."

            Blaine cleared his throat, which suddenly felt tight. "Thank you, Burt."

            Kurt heard them come in through the front door and went out to find Blaine doubled over in laughter, holding on to Burt's shoulder. Burt was chuckling like he was trying and failing to stop.

            "Are you drunk?" Kurt demanded.

            Burt wiped his eyes and looked at his son, standing there with his arms crossed. "No, we're not drunk," he answered.

            "What's so funny?" Kurt wondered, curious but defensive. Having been his only parent through all the most awkward stages of his life, Burt had a lot of embarrassing stories about Kurt stored away.

            "Finn," Blaine gasped, trying to regulate his breathing, "hot tub."

            "Oh," Kurt said, relieved. "Yeah, that's a good one."

            "What have you been up to?" Blaine asked.

            "Em and I are baking. Did you two have a good time?"

            "Yeah," Burt said, Blaine nodding along.

            Kurt looked between them bemusedly, finally shrugging and heading back toward the kitchen. Blaine followed him and smiled at what he saw. Emily was kneeling on a chair at the kitchen table next to a bowl of cookie dough, scooping a big spoonful out of it. Kurt was behind her, helping her with a spoon of his own, with his face right next to hers.

            "Ooh, that's gonna be a big one," he was saying. "I call dibs on that one."

            Emily giggled and dropped the dough onto the cookie sheet, and Blaine stepped fully into the room.

            "Hi, Blaine!" Emily exclaimed. "Wanna help us make cookies?"

            He smiled. "Sure! What kind are you making?"

            "Peanut butter chocolate chip. Uncle Kurt said they're your favorite."

            Blaine glanced at Kurt, whose smile was so soft and affectionate that he just had to kiss him. "They are. You didn't have to make my favorite."

            "We like 'em too, and Daddy and Grandpa will eat anything."

            Blaine laughed. “Sounds great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so much talking, but I felt like Blaine needed it.


	14. Injury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys head back to New York.

            Going back to New York meant going back to their regular schedules, which were especially hectic at the moment. Kurt had started rehearsals for a new production, and their time together was limited.

            So Blaine was surprised to see Kurt's name and picture pop up on his caller ID in the early afternoon. Kurt was at rehearsal, and Blaine wasn't expecting to hear from him for a few more hours.

            "Hey," he said.

            "Blaine," Kurt said, sounding strange, "Are you busy right now?"

            "Not really. Are you okay?"

            "I'm at the hospital. We think it's my foot."

            "Oh, god, what happened? I'll come meet you there?"

            Kurt exhaled. "Yes, please."

            "Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can. Is anybody with you?"

            "Yeah, Jen brought me from rehearsal."

            "Okay. Tell her to text me the address, okay? Do you need me to bring anything?"

            "No. I—I don't know."

            "Okay, don't worry about it."

            Blaine heard some muffled voices, and then Kurt again: "Oh, okay—I'm getting an x-ray, I have to go."

            "Okay, see you soon."

            Blaine threw some supplies into his bag and took what felt like the longest cab ride of his life. He sped through the hospital corridors, stopping to ask for directions twice. He finally skated around the corner and found the emergency department reception desk, where he had to wait for a while, and then finally a receptionist buzzed him through the locked door to go find Kurt. Blaine was shocked at the sight of him in a hospital gown. He was sitting on a hospital bed with his feet out in front of him, looking shaken and miserable and like he'd been crying.

            "Kurt," Blaine said, hugging him gently. When he pulled away, he kept hold of Kurt's hand. "Hi, Jen," he said, looking at the young woman seated in the corner, "Thanks for bringing him."

            "No problem," she said with a smile.

            Blaine refocused on Kurt's swollen ankle and foot. "What happened?"

            "We were rehearsing a dance number, and doing some jumps, and I guess I landed wrong. My ankle just kind of exploded in pain and then I couldn't walk on it."

            "Damn," Blaine said, rubbing Kurt's back. Kurt leaned into him, resting his head on Blaine's shoulder. "What do you know so far?"

            "Not much. They're looking at the x-rays. I've mostly just been sitting here."

            Blaine reached into his bag and wordlessly pulled out the latest issues of _Elle_ and _Nylon_.

            "Oh, I love you," Kurt said and immediately started flipping through the pages.

            Jen's phone beeped and she checked it, then looked up at them. "Paul wants to know if I'm coming back to rehearsal," she said apologetically.

            "Go," Kurt said with a wave of his hand.

            "You're sure?"

            "Yeah, I'm good, I promise."

            "He said to let him know how you're feeling."

            "Okay."

            Jen squeezed Kurt's arm in sympathy and left, and Kurt stared down at the magazine in his hands. Blaine watched her go, unsure what Kurt needed from him at the moment. A sniffle drew his attention, and Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt and kissed his hair.

            "I was really excited for this show," Kurt said sadly. "Do you know the worst part? I was really proud of how good my dancing was getting."

            "I'm proud of you, too. I'm so sorry."

            The doctor came after a while with the verdict: a probable stress fracture. It could have been worse, but it wasn't great either.

            "I just want to go home," Kurt said finally when the doctor was gone and his foot and ankle were sufficiently immobilized in a splint.

            "To your fourth floor walk-up?" Blaine said doubtfully. Kurt wasn't supposed to bear weight for at least a few weeks, and someone was supposed to come fit him for crutches any minute.

            Kurt's lips pressed into a thin line that usually indicated he was trying to keep his emotions in check, and Blaine felt a stab of regret for being insensitive.

            "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—Come stay with me," he said softly. "My building has an elevator."

            Kurt scoffed. "I can't just move in with you for a month.”

            “Why not?”

            “Blaine, I appreciate the offer, but I can’t impose on you like that.”

            “It's not an imposition. I love you and I offered. And I can't think of a better option,” Blaine said.

            Kurt sat there stoically for a minute before sighing. "Okay." Blaine was right; he didn't have a better option. While he might be able to hobble up the stairs, given enough time, he was too exhausted to even contemplate it. “This isn’t how I imagined us moving in together.”

            Blaine chuckled and leaned in to kiss his cheek gently. “We’ll make it work. I’ll take care of you.”

            Kurt grumbled.

            "Come on. It'll be just like Rear Window. We'll get you some binoculars to spy on the neighbors, and I'll do your legwork and make out with you."

            "In this scenario," Kurt said, staring at him, "you are Grace Kelly?"

            "Of course. Only prettier."

            Kurt laughed and then winced in pain when he accidentally knocked his foot against the table.

            "Sorry," Blaine soothed.

 

            At home, Blaine got him set up on the couch with his foot comfortably elevated and necessities within reach, crutches leaning nearby. He even moved the television so Kurt could watch without straining his neck.

            Next, he went to Kurt's apartment and packed up the essentials, which, according to Kurt, included all of his toiletries and half of his closet. He brought what he could carry and promised to go back for the rest.

            When he got back, Kurt was tucked into the corner of the couch and speaking softly into his phone. Blaine laid the garment bags he was carrying over the back of a chair and parked Kurt's suitcase nearby. "I promise," Kurt was saying. "You can call Blaine and check up on me. He's back now." Kurt listened for a second and then sighed, holding his phone out toward Blaine. "My dad wants to talk to you."

            Blaine took the phone from Kurt and held it to his own ear. "Hi, Burt."

            "Hey, kiddo. Listen, I know Kurt, and he's going to try to get up on his feet too fast and set himself back. You have to be strong."

            "I'll do my best. I'm getting everything set up here so he can get all the rest he needs. Don't worry, I'll take good care of him."

            "I know you will. You need anything, you call me, okay? I mean it. After the next couple days, I can fly out, no problem."

            "Thanks. I appreciate it. We'll keep you posted."

            "Thanks for letting him stay with you. All right, you can give me back to Kurt."

            Blaine handed the phone back, which Kurt accepted with a little roll of his eyes. "See, I'm in good hands," he said into the phone, smiling at Blaine. "Yeah. I will. Okay. I love you too. Bye."

 

            After dinner, which they ate on the couch while watching The Real Housewives of New York, Kurt rummaged through the bags Blaine had brought from his place and pulled out a couple of worn paperbacks and his sketchbook.

            "I'm going to take a shower. Do you need anything?" Blaine asked.      

            "No, I'm fine." Kurt opened his sketchbook and picked up where he'd left off sketching out a dress.

            Blaine lingered for an extra moment, eyes roaming over Kurt and his drawing. Kurt lost track of time as he worked, barely looking up until Blaine came back with wet hair, wearing sweatpants and a soft purple Henley.

            "Do you mind if I play for a while?" Blaine asked him, gesturing at the piano.

            "No, of course not," Kurt murmured, glancing up from the page. He listened absently as Blaine warmed up with something classical—Chopin, he thought—and then started tinkering around. Kurt put down the drawing after a few minutes and closed his eyes, relaxing into the lovely melody he didn't recognize.

            Kurt didn't know how much time passed, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and noticed the music had stopped. He opened his eyes to see Blaine's honey ones gazing down at him.

            "Hm?" Kurt said, wondering if he'd missed something.

            Blaine's hand slid around his back as he sat down on the couch beside him. "Am I putting you to sleep?" he wondered with a soft smile.

            "No, I love listening to you play," Kurt replied. He couldn't help leaning into Blaine's touch.

            "That’s lovely,” Blaine said, nodding at the finished sketch. “Tired?"

            Kurt nodded, blinking slowly. The stress and pain of the day had caught up with him.

            "Want to take a bath or anything?"

            "I'm too tired. I just want to go to sleep."

            "I'll bring you pajamas." Blaine handed him his crutches and he ambled clumsily to the bathroom. Standing on one foot, he braced himself with a hand on the sink and brushed his teeth with his free hand. He washed his face and as he was rubbing in moisturizer (a fraction of his usual routine), Blaine knocked on the open door and then set pajama pants and a t-shirt on the counter.

            "Thanks." Blaine shut the door behind him and Kurt changed awkwardly, sitting on the toilet lid in order to pull the pants on.

            He crutch-walked into the bedroom, where Blaine was standing and frowning at the bed.

            "What's wrong?" Kurt asked.

            "Is this okay?" Blaine asked, gesturing at his bed. "We could set you up in the guest room instead?"

            "Why would we do that?" Kurt asked.

            "I might jostle you while we're asleep and hurt you."

            "It's fine, Blaine. It really only hurts if I try to walk on it."

            Blaine didn't look convinced and Kurt tried not to get annoyed. Blaine's intentions were good, but Kurt was _tired._

            "We share a bed all the time, Blaine, why are you getting shy about it now?"

            Blaine looked chastised. "You said it yourself, this isn't how we imagined moving in together. I just wondered if you might like to have your own space. Or at least the option of your own space."

            "Right now I'd like to get into this bed and sleep beside you like normal, okay?"

            "Okay," Blaine said. "Of course." He finished pulling the covers down and when Kurt sat down, took his crutches from him and leaned them within reach against the wall. He lay down beside Kurt, pulling his half of the comforter up and settling into his pillows.

            "I'd also like you to kiss me goodnight," Kurt added.

            Blaine smiled and scooted closer, pressing a warm, soft kiss to Kurt's lips. Kurt held the back of his head and didn't let him go until he'd been very thorough.

            Kurt smiled. "Thank you," he said drowsily.

            Blaine found Kurt’s hand and held it gently. "Goodnight."

 

            Kurt's injury was pretty minor, but he still frustratingly couldn't do many of the things he normally would. Since he couldn't dance, he obviously wasn't going to rehearsal (his status in the musical hadn't been formally resolved yet, but he expected his understudy was feeling pretty lucky at the moment), and while he could write and sketch at home, there were more hours in the day than things to fill them with.

            So Blaine made sure to invite their friends to visit, especially when he himself had to be away from home, to try to occupy Kurt's mind and hands. They gossiped and sang and watched movies and played board games. Kurt practiced the piano, with Blaine there to give gentle instruction as needed.

            In short, Kurt was bored. Everyone had been very kind, and Blaine was lovely, but Kurt was going to go actually out of his mind soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's still more of this to be posted. I hope to get the main story to a decent stopping point and then perhaps post some additional one-shots.


	15. Insult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is frustrating for Kurt.

            It didn't take long. Blaine came home to find an unshaven and generally unkempt Kurt curled up on the couch, staring at an old episode of Project Runway on the television. He didn't even look up as Blaine came in.

            "Are you okay?" Blaine asked, sitting down beside him.

            Kurt shot him an acid look. "No, I am not okay, Blaine. Thanks to my stupid broken foot, I've officially been replaced. They can try to recast me in a non-dancing role, but they can't make any promises. Nothing is _okay._ I have to shower sitting down with a giant condom on my leg, and I can't wear any of my pants, and my foot hurts!" he cried.

            Blaine swallowed Kurt's surprised yelp as he crashed their lips together, kissing Kurt deeply. He licked into Kurt's mouth and sucked on his bottom lip. He finally pulled back slightly and peered at Kurt, who was frozen in place, eyes closed and lips open.

            "Does that hurt?" Blaine's lips brushed his again, just barely.

            "No, that—that's nice," he replied.

            "What can I do?" Blaine asked.

            "Kiss me," Kurt answered. Blaine obliged. They made out for minutes, Blaine hovering over him, not touching him anywhere but his mouth. Kurt sighed and opened his eyes. Blaine's lips were swollen, and he looked completely wrecked. Kurt slid a hand down Blaine’s chest as they kissed, finally feeling something normal for a second. When his hand reached Blaine's pants, Blaine's eyes popped open and he pulled back.

            "We shouldn’t…"

            Kurt's eyes flashed with hurt and anger, and he dropped his hands away from Blaine. "Fine," he said flatly.

            "Kurt—"

            "Leave me alone, Blaine."

 

           

            The next day, the air between them was still tense.

            “Do you need anything before I take a shower?” Blaine asked that evening.

            Kurt shook his head. Blaine nodded back and disappeared into the other rooms. Kurt wasted some time on Facebook and Instagram, looking at some pictures Mercedes had posted of a trip to the beach. He couldn’t help but feel jealous, but it reminded him to call her. She’d texted him a get well soon message and demanded that he call her over the weekend.

            Blaine flitted in and out of the room a couple of times, and Kurt was aware of him at the edges of his attention. He thought Blaine was avoiding him, and it felt like a failure that weighed heavily on him.

            Kurt liked a lot of things about living with Blaine. He liked how domestic it felt when they wrote out a grocery list together, and he loved getting to see Blaine comfortable and relaxed at home. Living with Blaine wasn’t the problem; the problem was everything else.

            “Blaine,” Kurt said finally. “Will you come sit with me?”

            Blaine stopped in his tracks and hesitated for a moment, and then came closer and sat down beside him.

            “Blaine,” he said softly, and reached out as far as he could for Blaine’s hand. Blaine reached the rest of the way. “I'm sorry. I've been taking things out on you, and you don't deserve that."

            Blaine swallowed thickly and gave him a little smile. "I know this isn't easy. You don't like depending on me."

            “It’s not you. I’m just…frustrated,” Kurt said. "And sorry. For being such a bitchy mess."

            Blaine chuckled, "You’re _my_ bitchy mess."

            "And you’re so much better than Grace Kelly.”

            "I wasn't rejecting you. Yesterday. I just…I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted. "Kissing you was a panic move, and then I panicked some more."

            "I like that your panic instinct is to kiss me," Kurt said with a little bit of teasing. "It stung a little, but I get it. This isn't exactly sexy," he said with a wry chuckle, gesturing to the current tableau.

            Blaine's brow furrowed at him. "Kurt, what—are you kidding? You're always sexy. You're here all the time in various states of undress, and this stubble you're currently rocking is killing me," he admitted, swallowing when his throat felt a little dry.

            "Really?" Kurt asked, surprised.

            "Really," Blaine said seriously, drawing closer. "I've been thinking," he added slowly, "about ways we might…relieve some frustration…while keeping your foot safely elevated."

            "Well, when you say it like _that_." His sarcasm lacked bite, especially since he hadn't stopped staring at Blaine's lips.

            "Only if you want to," Blaine added, lips brushing Kurt's jaw.

            "Hand me my crutches and I'll meet you in the bedroom."

 

 

            Kurt's leg was healing well, according to the doctor. He graduated to a walking boot and started physical therapy, which involved some sort of aquatic exercise that meant Kurt came home three days a week with damp hair and smelling faintly of chlorine. He complained about what it was doing to his skin, but he felt much better for the exercise.

            After a few weeks, when he could climb the four flights of stairs necessary, he could move back home.

            “I think that’s everything,” Kurt said, dropping the light duffle bag he was carrying onto the floor. He hadn’t seen the inside of his own apartment since the day of his injury, though Blaine had been there several times to pick up various necessary items, gather his mail, and water his plants.

            “Must be nice to be back here,” Blaine commented, watching Kurt look around at his living room. Kurt gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

            “Yeah, I guess so. It’s strange.”

            Blaine nodded. “Well, at least things can go back to normal,” he said lightly.

            Kurt stepped around the suitcase on the floor and closer to Blaine. “I can’t thank you enough. For everything,” he said.

            “No thanks necessary.”

            “I have to get used to living alone again.”

            Blaine chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy having the bathroom to yourself,” he teased.

            “Yeah, that’s a plus.”

            “Okay, well, I’ll see you later,” Blaine said. He leaned over and kissed Kurt’s cheek.

            “Okay. Love you.”

            “Love you too.”


	16. Home

           

            Physical therapy made Kurt stronger than he’d been before. He'd gotten quite the upper body workout when he couldn't use his legs, and his regular sessions were more frequent workouts than he was used to.

            Blaine found it very hot. He was more than happy to volunteer to massage Kurt's muscles when they were sore from physio, or help him stretch.

            Blaine was glad Kurt was able to be independent again, which seemed like his natural state. But he missed him. He had to keep reminding himself that Kurt had only been staying with him because of his injury.

            "I should go home," Kurt said between kisses.

            "Mm," Blaine replied, unfazed. "Right."

            Kurt kissed him again in response.

            The concept of "home" had started to become fuzzy in his mind. When he was a kid, home was the house he'd grown up in, where his mom had lived and died. He had grieved the loss of the place when he and his dad had moved into a brand new house with Carole and Finn, but the presence of his new, stitched-together family had redefined the place he called home. Even when he moved to New York for college, Ohio still felt like home. He went "home" on holiday breaks and long weekends.

            Gradually, though, Finn also moved out of their parents' house and started his new life, and as Kurt made more money and could afford a larger place to live, his New York apartment had started to feel like home. Burt and Carole's house was just that: his parents' house.

            "I have to work in the morning," Kurt said against Blaine's lips, sliding a hand up his arm.

            "Yeah," Blaine murmured, and kissed him.

            When he’d stayed with Blaine while his foot healed, it hadn’t felt like home, not really. It felt like Blaine’s place, which was comfortable in its own way. But now, it was the end of a three-day weekend, and Kurt hadn't been back to his own apartment in over seventy-two hours. The pull of "home" hadn't been strong enough to draw Kurt back there. His own bed, when Blaine wasn't in it with him, had become too cold and empty to be tempting. He had some clothes at Blaine's. He had with him what sundries he needed, and when he didn't, Blaine didn't hesitate to offer his own.

            "Blaine," Kurt said, finally pulling away. "I really have to go."

            "Sorry," Blaine said lightly, putting some space between them. "You probably have stuff to do at home."

            "Honestly, I'm just out of clothes. I probably can't go to work naked or wearing your sweatpants."

            Blaine smiled. "Your coworkers wouldn't get any work done if you went in naked."

            "Yes, that's the reason why I can't," Kurt rolled his eyes playfully. "Besides, don't you want your space back to yourself?"

            "I like you in my space," Blaine said. “I miss having you here all the time.”

            “I wasn’t very pleasant company while I was recovering.”

            “Yes, you were.”

            “I was a hot mess, Blaine.”

            “I still miss you. The place feels empty now.”

            “I know what you mean.”

            “I don’t sleep as well.”

            “Me neither.”

            Blaine was watching Kurt's face carefully. "Move in with me, Kurt."

            Kurt's eyebrows slid up toward his hairline. "You want me to move in here with you? For good?"

            Blaine's usual confidence was all but gone. "Here, or your apartment, or we could look for a new place together. We can talk about that. I know what we had before was temporary, but since you moved back home, I feel like I’ve lost something. I know it's a big step, so if you want to think about it—"

            "Yes," Kurt breathed. His heart was pounding.

            "Yes, you need to think about it?" Blaine asked tentatively.

            "No, Blaine. I miss you, too. Waking up with you when you’re sleepy and adorable in the morning and listening to you play the piano. I want to come home to you every day."

            "Kurt," Blaine said, voice shaky with emotion. "I was trying so hard not to be clingy. I know you need your space.”

            "Honey, I just figured that you let me stay with you because it was a necessity and you’re a generous person, but I didn’t think you wanted to make it permanent. I'm so sorry if I gave you the impression that I don't want this as much as you do.”

            Blaine grinned widely and pulled him into a kiss.

            “Well, now I don’t want to leave even more,” Kurt said with a laugh and a pout.

            “But we have a lot to look forward to.”

            “True.”           

 

 

            "Blaine and I are moving in together," Kurt told his dad and Carole over Skype. His hand was on Blaine's bouncing thigh, trying to calm his boyfriend's nerves.

            Carole grinned, and his dad's face lit up.

            "Congratulations!"

            "That's great!"

            Blaine finally exhaled, his body melting into his seat. Kurt nudged him with his elbow.

            "Blaine was nervous," Kurt explained to his parents.

            "That's an understatement," Blaine muttered.

            "Blaine, you know we love you," Carole said kindly, Burt nodding in agreement. "We're so happy for you two."

            Judging by the way Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand tighter, he hadn't known. But it was so very nice to hear.

            "Whose apartment are you going to live in?" Burt wondered.

            Blaine glanced at Kurt, who explained. "Blaine's place is bigger, so I'm going to move in with him."

            "For now," Blaine amended. "In the future, if we want, we can look for a new place together."

            "I'm proud of both of you."

            Blaine's eyes were a little watery as Kurt leaned in and kissed his cheek.


	17. Family

            Blaine had been out with Sophie all day. They'd gone to the park and then on a brief shopping trip. He'd dropped her off at home when Jeff got back from work, and then Blaine had headed home himself.

            "Blaine!" Kurt said in a higher register than normal. "You're home!"

            "Yeah, and so are you," Blaine replied in surprise. Kurt had rehearsal in the morning, followed by some meetings at Vogue, and Blaine had expected to have time to make dinner before he got home. It was something they tried to do at least a couple of times a week, to make sure they ate a home cooked meal together.

            Kurt pecked him on the cheek. "How was your day?"

            Blaine noticed the tension in his voice, but didn't comment. "Great. Went out with Soph. What are you doing home so early?"

            Kurt opened his mouth to reply, when a soft thud sounded from the direction of the hallway. Kurt winced, and Blaine was confused. "What was that?" He took a step toward the sound, and Kurt put a hand on his arm to stop him.

            "Wait."

            "Is that...is that coming from the bedroom?" Blaine wondered, looking at the closed door.

            "Please don't be mad," Kurt said, eyes wide.

            Well, that was alarming.

            "I did something, and I should have talked to you first, but I couldn't help myself, and please don't be mad," Kurt babbled, releasing a long breath. He went over and carefully opened the bedroom door.

            Blaine gave him a questioning look and stepped inside. "Oh, my god, Kurt!" he exclaimed. In the center of the floor, pawing at the pile of magazines that was usually on the night table, was a mostly black and orange calico kitten with green eyes. "There's a kitten in our bedroom," Blaine narrated.

            Kurt was biting his lip. "I found her meowing in the courtyard behind the theater," he explained. "We waited to see if a mama cat came to claim her, but none did. I couldn't just leave her there. It's starting to get cold at night. I made an appointment to take her to the vet to get her shots..." Kurt trailed off, watching Blaine kneel down to let the kitten smell him. When she'd sniffed him to satisfaction, he scooped her up and sat on the bed, cradling her against his chest.

            "She’s a girl?”

            “The internet said calicos are almost always female. Also, I looked up a youtube video and invaded her privacy in a way she didn’t appreciate.”

            "She's the cutest!" Blaine said, still mostly talking to the kitten.

            Kurt sat down beside him, rubbing the kitty behind her ears.

            Blaine was grinning brightly at him. "You want to keep her, don't you?"

            Kurt nodded and bit his lip.           

            "What are we going to name her?" Blaine asked.

            “Really, just like that?”

            “Why not?”

            Kurt thought about what he'd been thinking about since he made the decision to bring the cat home. The responsibility, and the commitment, and having a tiny helpless creature depending on them, and how that seemed symbolic of another commitment down the road…

            Kurt cleared his throat. "You can choose the name. Whatever you want."

            Blaine considered carefully. "I think she looks like a Penny."

            Kurt laughed. "Penny it is, then. Are you sure? We can think about it for a day if you want."

            Clearly Blaine had no such misgivings about the addition to their family. He was too busy touching a fingertip to Penny's nose (with a "Boop!") to hear Kurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just needed them to have a cat, okay?
> 
> This a little levity before it gets heavier. Not too heavy. I'm incapable of writing heavy angst. I've tried, and it just ends up kittens and rainbows.


End file.
